Gray Tree Frog Apprenticeship Program

2018 Gray Tree Frog Apprentices

Friends of the Rouge Watershed is excited to announce that we will be running our 9th annual Gray Tree Frog Apprenticeship Program for local high school students this March Break via Zoom!

For high school students who want to:
• Gain environmental knowledge, and leadership and problem-solving skills
• Gain ecological restoration experience and community service hours.
• Develop job and life skills and explore green career paths.
• Combat Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss.
• Give Mother Nature a Voice and a Helping Hand.

Students get the opportunity to:
• Explore career opportunities in the Environmental Non-Government Organization (ENGO) sector
• Learn how to overcome environmental challenges through education, leadership, planning, communication, and individual and community action
• Gain professional skills, including species identification, ecological restoration, outreach, team leadership, and public speaking
• Gain ecological knowledge to combat the local effects of climate change, making our watershed and surrounding communities healthier

Students will earn:
• A personalized letter of reference
• Up to 20 community service volunteer hours
• A certificate of completion

Important Dates:
Application Deadline: Sunday, February 20, 2022 at 11:59 pm
3-Day March Break Program: March 15 to 17, 9:00 am to 2:30 pm
Access the application at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WBDQS9T

Details: Gray Tree Frog Apprentice (GTFA) programming will be led by staff from Friends of the Rouge Watershed and will take place via Zoom over 3 days during March Break 2022. In the spring of 2022, apprentices may have the opportunity to put their skills to work: apprentices will choose to volunteer at 1 to 3 weekend events during FRW’s spring community stewardship activities from April to June (dependent on COVID-19 restrictions). At these events, apprentices will help plant native trees, shrubs and wildflowers and talk about local environmental issues and solutions. In June, apprentices will attend a virtual post-program celebration night to present a reflection of their volunteer experience.

For more information, contact Thivyah at thivyah@frw.ca

Gray Tree Frog Apprentices conducting water quality sampling

GTFA Participant Testimonials

My experience in FRW’s Gray Tree Frog Apprenticeship program has shaped my career and future aspirations. The program was a catalyst that set off my appreciation and dedication for the environment and all of the beauty that comes with it. This unique learning experience has influenced me ever since I was in grade 9, and next year I will be attending the University of Waterloo for Environmental Engineering.

-Sujeethan Vigneswaran, High School Apprentice

The Gray Tree Frog Apprenticeship was my first experience working outdoors with a small team of enthusiastic peers all passionate about the environment. I was able to appreciate nature in a whole new way as I saw lessons of resilience and growth in the conservation efforts of FRW. Even the most unlikely places, like landfills and gravel pits, can be transformed into lush habitat beautiful creatures like trumpeter swans. The leaders combined science with the beauty of nature and it made for quite the wholesome experience that became the best March Break I ever had!

-Nida Rashid, High School Apprentice