Part of the new wave

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This article was published 28/04/2019 (2394 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kimbaya Carriere is passionate about raising awareness about global issues in her local community.

 
By the same token, the 22 year-old St. Boniface resident is also preparing to broaden her horizons, as she’s one of two Manitoba youth among 40 in Canada who have been chosen to make up the Ocean Bridge cohort, and to continue an ongoing national dialogue about the health of the world’s oceans. The other representative from Manitoba is Kaitlyn Hanson from Lockport.

According to a news release from program manager Ocean Wise, Ocean Bridge is a second-year national program that gives youth across the nation aged between 18 and 30 the tools and support to connect with each other and to lead service projects related to ocean health and literacy in their respective communities. Ocean Bridge is a national partner in the Canada Service Corps, which is a federal initiative.

“I feel insanely excited to get into the program, especially as I want to go into marine biology,” said Carriere, who is studying biology and environmental science at the University of Winnipeg. “I’m thrilled and happy to be part of this, and offer local perspectives.”

“It’s important to help raise awareness about conservation, and it’s important that, as Manitobans, we ask ourselves how we can be part of this conservation. When you think about, there are so many bodies of water in Manitoba, and there are lots of issues surrounding water, especially in First Nations communities. Some of these are not overly well-known issues, and we need to bring awareness to them. For example, we still have boil water advisories here, and we need to bring this awareness to the rest of Canada.”

“Also, we have a lot of wetlands here, and unfortunately some of them are still being drained for urban and agricultural development, and we need to raise awareness about this. And there’s a difference between restoring and protecting something. If something is restored, then that’s great, but we also need to focus on protecting it,” Carriere added.

Officials say this year’s program will focus in three major components — ongoing local service projects and capacity building across the country; an immersive ocean health wilderness expedition to the north shore of Lake Superior; and an immersive ocean literacy urban service expedition in Ottawa in January 2020. Throughout the year, the ocean ambassadors will also have access to ocean literary resources, and will receive individual coaching and support from Ocean Bridge staff.

Mixed in with all her excitement, Carriere said it’s also a bit nerve-wracking to be chosen as an ambassador, but she’s been unwittingly preparing for the role, in some ways, because of the environmental work she’s been doing on a local level in the last few years. This includes her involvement with the Manitoba Eco-Network, and working with local fashion designer Andréanne Dandeneau. As well, she’s organizing a shoreline cleanup along the banks of the Red River at 5 p.m. on May 14, when there’s an open invitation to community members to “come help and take some action.” The group will meet at the northwest corner of Provencher Boulevard and Tache Avenue across from St. Boniface Library.

In terms of her ambassadorial role, Carriere is looking forward to coming together with like-minded individuals. “One of the things I’m most excited about is meeting lots of different youth from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds, but who all have a common goal — to learn from each other and grow from these experiences,” she said.

Go online at bridge.ocean.org for more information about the program.