April 15, 2022 — Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC) is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $79,525 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET). These funds will expand FRWC’s youth programs to bring together middle and high school students, community partners, and educators who are eager to solve problems facing local streams. The inclusive Flint River Environmental Leaders program will bring together after-school and in-school educators and students across the Flint River watershed. They will decide which issues to explore in their own communities and share ideas with others for how to protect and improve the Flint River and their communities.
FRWC will work with the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI) and Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) on this project. Fifteen teachers and community program educators and fourteen youth will be chosen from diverse regions of the watershed.
FRWC seeks applicants from youth organizations and schools from Genesee, Lapeer, Oakland, Saginaw, Sanilac, Shiawassee, and Tuscola counties within the watershed. Priority will be given to youth and adult participants from the same school or organization. Educators will choose from a menu of topics to learn strategies for sharing meaningful watershed experiences with their students. Youth will meet monthly to explore current issues and learn how to make their voices heard. The two groups will work together on community projects to build youth-adult partnerships throughout the watershed.
“This work is the result of years of collaboration among organizations eager to elevate youth voices in our community,” says Autumn Mitchell, FRWC Education Programs Manager. “We are thrilled to begin this project and empower more people to protect, promote, and improve the Flint River watershed and its interwoven systems.”
Participants will receive continuing education credits and monetary stipends of up to $650 for completed efforts. The program will launch in July 2022 and run through August 2023. Information sessions are scheduled for June 6th and 7th at 6pm. More
information can be found at www.flintrivergreen.org.
The NOAA B-WET program is a competitive grant program that promotes Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences: activities driven by rigorous academic learning standards that aim to increase participants’ understanding and stewardship of watersheds and related ecosystems. To read more about the NOAA B-WET program, please visit http://www.noaa.gov/office-education/bwet.
Founded in 1998, Flint River Watershed Coalition represents individuals, businesses, community organizations, and local units of government partnering to protect, promote, and improve the Flint River and its watershed. These partnerships, paired with public
education, scientific projects, and community involvement, seek to ensure a healthy, vibrant, and active Flint River watershed for all. To learn more, please visit their website at FlintRiver.org or follow them on social media at Facebook.com/flintriverwatershed.
