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Promoting Water Conservation and Preservation Public Awareness Campaign
Since 2004/05, the regional communications branches of INAC and Health Canada have worked with First Nation (Alberta) Technical Services Advisory Group (TSAG) to implement a communications plan that works with Alberta First Nation children and youth to promote water preservation and conservation initiatives in their communities.
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The regional partners hope to build upon the successes of the plan over the past three years and continue with many of the projects into 2007/08. Teaching our First Nation children and youth about respecting their drinking water is not just important, it is essential.
The approach is educational. Changing beliefs about water and the need to preserve and conserve is not something that happens overnight but requires a change over a long period of time.
Children and youth tend to be more impressionable so if you get them thinking about their responsibility, hopefully they grow into adults who treat water differently. For these reasons, the primary audience for this plan is Alberta First Nations' children and youth.
There are many communication activities that have been developed and will continue for the 2007/2008 fiscal year.
- School Presentations: Grade 5 and 6 are the target audiences for the school presentations as it ties in with the science curriculum on water.
The presentation focuses on how children and youth today can conserve water resources in our daily activity and how to preserve water and the environment. An interactive display model is used to display how water (including our source water) can become polluted when it travels over land, roads, and how personal actions can affect the health of waterways and where we live. In addition, discussion of various roles and responsibilities (such as a water operator, CHR, etc) within First Nation communities are also discussed.
- Poster Contest: Contest would be open to students from grade five to 12 and divided in two categories: grades five to six and seven to 12. The contest would be advertised through the First Nation schools, band offices and health centres. As well, an official presentation will be made to the top three winners in each category at the student’s school. Prizes include:
- 1st Prize: Portable DVD player
- 2nd Prize: Mp3 player
- 3rd Prize: CD player
The student will also be presented with a framed copy of his/her winning poster. The posters will be displayed at various fairs and exhibitions and school presentations.
- Water Success Stories: Developing positive water stories will be used in local newspapers and for exhibits and trade shows. These stories will give the communities the appropriate recognition for success while encouraging them to continue to promote the importance of safe water.
Past stories include, an article on the water video, and women as water operators was promoted in summer and fall 2006 edition of SAY magazine.
- Fairs and Exhibits: Career fairs and conferences are attended in promoting the strategy, promoting the poster contest winners, and water success stories. In addition, information displayed also includes watershed awareness, source water protection, conservation tips and water operations material (i.e. Maintenance Management Plans, Emergency response plans for Public Works).
- Promotional Items: Promotional items are used for fairs and exhibits, conferences, as well as powwows, and openings of water treatment facilities. Examples include water bottles, pens, frisbees and sweat shirts.
- Video: A 15 minute video was developed in order to teach children about respecting water. The video incorporates water conservation and preservation tips, highlights water roles and responsibilities within First Nation communities and helps to instil the importance of respecting water from a cultural perspective.
The video has now been translated into French and will be distributed across Canada. The video is available by contacting the TSAG office.
For more information about the public awareness campaign and the communication
activities, please contact e-mail or telephone Chantelle Cardinal at 780-483-8601.
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