YOUTH LEADER SERIES

Jack Simpson

Fredericton, NB, Canada

CISV Eco-Group Leader

Biodiversity is the common thread that holds all living and non-living species together.

I first began my environmental activist life at the age of 5 when my dad took me to a stream clean-up. Since then, I have been actively involved in conserving the environment. From cleaning up the environment locally I moved on the matters of biodiversity and in 2004 I helped to create the Bur Oak Project which is helping to re-establish this native tree to its historic range and habitat in the Saint John River Valley. To date we have planted over 600 trees in our city and up and down the river valley. Our group holds the New Brunswick Environmental Youth Leadership Award for 2007 for our work with the bur oak Project. We have presented our project work numerous times and I have attended many international youth conferences on the environment in Japan (05, 09, and 10), Sweden (05 and 07) and the USA (04).

Last summer we presented our project at the Second International Youth Symposium on Biodiversity in Ottawa, Canada (super symposium btw). Most recently I attended the International Youth Conference on Biodiversity sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment in Nagoya, Japan. It was fantastic. There were delegates from more than 60 countries and I made many friends and contacts as we shared our project information during the 8 day conference.

I helped to develop the International Youth Accord on Biodiversity that will be presented to the world leaders at the COP 10 in Japan in October of this year and have collected many signatures to support the Accord.

Congratulations to the Canadian team as they carry the Accord forward to the COP10 and good luck at the presentation on Oct. 26th.

 -Jack