For Immediate Release
The Council of Canadians expands its renowned water advocacy program to engage elementary and high school students
OTTAWA – The Council of Canadians is proud to announce the launch of Blue Community Schools, a groundbreaking initiative designed to educate and empower students about the human right to water. In a time of growing threats to our most vital resource, this program builds on our decades-long water protection advocacy to foster a new generation of water defenders.
Expanding on our successful Blue Communities program – through which more than 100 communities worldwide have committed to safeguarding water – Blue Community Schools will equip K-12 students and their teachers with the resources to help turn their schools ‘blue’.
“For a long time, I have been convinced that we must reach children with our urgent message about the twin water crises – ecological and human – and have longed to find a way to reach them as their values are being formed,” said Maude Barlow, long-time water activist, founder of the Council of Canadians, and former senior adviser to the UN on water issues.
“Reaching students as young as four, or those preparing for life after high school, is essential if we are to save the planet’s water heritage and share it justly,” she added.
This initiative launches at a critical moment, as access to safe, clean drinking water is increasingly threatened by corporate greed, privatization, climate breakdown, and government neglect. According to the United Nations, by the time today’s Kindergarteners graduate high school, the demand for water will exceed supply by 40 per cent.
For nearly four decades, the Council of Canadians has led the fight for the human right to water. In Canada, we have been working to end all Drinking Water Advisories for First Nations communities. Globally, we’re building the movement to keep water public and say no to bottled water through the Blue Communities project.
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For more information, visit the Blue Community Schools website.
