Collaborative guest blog by Canada Summer Jobs students Atticus Fewson and Morgan Murphy.
Morgan and Atticus at the For the Love Of Water event in Barrie, August 2024.
The summer is sweet but much too short, and as August draws to an end, it’s sadly time to say goodbye to our 2024 summer students. Throughout the months of July and August, Atticus and Morgan worked together to complete extensive research projects, attend various outreach events, and establish invaluable connections with the residents of Lake Simcoe. Keep reading to hear more about their experience working with the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition.
Atticus
This summer I had an amazing time working for the RLSC, and I want to first and foremost thank everyone I worked with for making this an incredible summer. This was the first job that I ever had that was more than a paycheck, as I always felt that anything I was doing for RLSC was meaningful and important. I learned a lot of very important skills this summer, from organizing events to social media management and most importantly discussing important environmental and political issues at public outreach events. As someone who is studying political science, I know that these skills are integral for someone looking to get into my field of study, and I am so happy that I was able to learn while working at RLSC.
The tasks I worked on this summer were perfect for learning a diverse range of skills. In addition to the aforementioned work on social media, event planning, and outreach, I also spent time working on updating media contacts, helping run and organize phone zaps, organize data, and much more. RLSC gave me my first opportunity to learn a wide range of skills through a variety of projects, and these skills will no doubt help me for years to come.
Morgan
This summer has been a whirlwind of new adventures, and now that it’s almost over, I want to share my appreciation for this incredible experience. This position allowed me to combine my creative skills and passion for environmental activism to create blogs, social media posts, and interactive education materials. Along the way, I learned valuable lessons about communication and collaboration. One major takeaway was that effective communication is just as important as the data collection. One-on-one conversations with Lake Simcoe residents allowed me to gain a better understanding of what people know, what they want to know, and how I can successfully connect with a diverse range of individuals.
Over the past two months, I’ve had the opportunity to engage with Lake Simcoe residents in a multitude of ways, including farmer’s markets, interviews, and education sessions. One of my favourite events took place at Degrassi Point in Innisfil, where I helped to run hands-on activities to educate children about food chains, indicator species, and pollution. This was a memorable occasion for me because as an environmentally conscious child myself, I would have loved to find out first-hand how groups like the RLSC are protecting my local environment. Teaching the next generation that they can make a difference is vital to creating a sustainable future, and I am very grateful to have been a part of such impactful work.
United Words of Gratitude
As we prepare for another year of university, we will go into the fall semester with stronger teamwork skills, communication skills, and a newfound confidence in ourselves, all thanks to the opportunities provided to us by the RLSC this summer. We hope to stay in touch with everyone we made connections with and look forward to collaborating with future summer students. Finally, we would like to thank Claire and Jessica for directing us and keeping us organized this summer; we couldn’t have done it without amazing leaders like you!