2016 ANNUAL REPORT

Youth Wavemakers

170 youth doing action projects 2,905 people in their communities reached

2,920 youth reached by educators independently delivering Wavemakers resources

100% OF TEACHERS

AGREE:

“As a result of the workshop I feel more

capable of teaching about water and sanitation

issues in my classroom.”

RESULTS

MICHELLE’S LETTER

VISION

STRATEGIES

Our 2015 annual report demonstrates another successful year for CAWST in

engaging K-12 youth in global water and sanitation issues through CAWST’s

Wavemakers Program. Wavemakers is in a unique position as a leader in both global

and environmental education for teachers seeking to dig deeply into water issues and

take meaningful action. Educators continue to engage with us to complement their

curriculum, eco clubs, Me to We clubs, and social justice clubs.

This year’s youth teams continue to impress CAWST and the local community.

Wavemakers teams reached 2,905 Canadians through water action projects this year.

Action projects included educating the public on how to repair leaky household fixtures

and selling water bottles. We also saw students organizing a “Back the Tap” campaign to

encourage peers to stop drinking bottled water, educational workshops to teach schools

how to build water-smart gardening containers and promote behavior change on water,

and host a school water walk event to raise awareness about global water access.

We are proud of the results of the youth action projects on their impact in the

community but also on the impact for each individual youth participating in the

Wavemaker’s program. Ninety-eight percent of youth have reported not only an

increased awareness of global and local water and sanitation issues, but that they have

also developed skills to take action.

On behalf of CAWST and the youth and educators who have benefited from the

Wavemakers program, I would like to thank our volunteers, funders, and partners for

supporting our work. Without your support we would not be able to continue doing this

important work.Michelle Macdonald

Youth Wavemakers Program

Manager

The Wavemakers Program seeks to educate, engage and inspire youth in North America to take action on global and local water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issues.

Our strategies to achieve this vision include:

1. Engage, educate and support youth to take meaningful action on water and sanitation issues.

2. Foster a long-term relationship with youth.

3. Develop and make available resources that engage and educate youth on water and sanitation issues.

4. Engage, educate and support educators.

LOOKING FORWARD

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

In the 2016-2017 school year we will:

Education is a Powerful ThingInspired by CAWST’s approach to capacity building, Arbour Lake School’s Ripple Effect

Club focused their Wavemakers action project on educating their community about

the importance of water, both locally and globally. The Ripple Effect team designed

an interactive series of mini-workshops and then hosted these workshops in various

locations within the Arbour Lake community, including a local school and the YMCA. By

the end of the school year, this group of dedicated Grade 8 students educated over 650

Calgarians.

Participants of the Ripple Effect workshops learned about simple ways to conserve

water in their homes and developed a greater awareness of the issues related to water

and sanitation which many in the world still face. Thanks to support from the City of

Calgary, the Ripple Effect members became experts in topics that included fixing a leaky

toilet and faucet and setting up a rain barrel. Students also used CAWST activities and

games to help their participants better understand global water and sanitation issues.

There is no doubt this year’s Ripple Effect Club impacted its community by raising

awareness about water issues. It embodied the “Teach a Man to Fish” approach

that CAWST uses in its work globally, and offered its own brand of passion and

dedication in a way that only a team of youth dedicated to making a difference in

their community can.

Piloted an online Career & Technology Foundation Course

Collaborated with the Centre for Global Education to facilitate an

online water conference to 3,000 North American youth

Launched a water bottle fundraising campaign for

schools to take action

1. Train and support teachers to teach global water issues

• Deliver 6 professional development workshops in Calgary and Edmonton

• Provide consulting support to educators using CAWST’s online Career & Technology Foundations course

2. Provide more opportunities for youth to get involved with CAWST

• Form a youth council that will support CAWST in achieving its mission

• Develop ready-to-go fundraising campaigns for youth to carry out independently

3. Partner with Two Wheel View to organize a bike trip along the Bow River

• Youth will cycle from the Bow Glacier to Calgary, engaging in activities highlighting the care of our water resources and documenting their learning on film

WAVEMAKERS ACTION STORY

CAWST.ORG/WAVEMAKERS WAVEMAKERS@CAWST.ORG Contact us:

Our supporters:

Wavemakers Services

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Assisting teachers to incorporate global water

education into their curriculum

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

Engaging youth through action projects, public events,

a youth summit and volunteer opportunities

The legacy of the CAWST Wavemakers program lives on

in Wavemakers alumni like Nabeela Jivraj. Through the

program, Nabeela became aware of water, sanitation and

hygiene (WASH) issues in developing countries and her

passion for global development was ignited.

“My experience as a Wavemaker motivated me to work towards

a career in global development.”

After high school, Nabeela entered Queen’s University to focus

on global development.

This summer, Nabeela travelled to Kenya where she volunteered

for Queen’s Health Outreach, a student-run non-governmental

organization implementing health education in schools across

rural parts of Kenya. Along with providing education on HIV/

AIDS, sexual and mental health, and leadership, Nabeela also

introduced CAWST activities and lessons on WASH awareness

as a component of the health curriculum.

This experience in Kenya served to not only broaden Nabeela’s

understanding about WASH in developing countries but also

opened her eyes to the challenges that many communities in

Kenya face.

The vision for the CAWST Wavemakers program is that youth

are lifelong champions in addressing global water and sanitation

challenges. It is clear that Nabeela will remain a champion of

WASH issues. Within a week of returning home, she is

already talking about how to improve the Queen’s Health

Outreach program.

Building a Legacy for Global Development - Nabeela Jivraj

TEACHING RESOURCES

Co-created with overseas youth to share authentic

stories on community development

“ My experience as a Wavemaker

motivated me to work towards a

career in global development.”