Vancouver Outreach at Parks Canada in Vancouver, BC, Canada
This summer I had the opportunity to spend a second season with Parks Canada’s Vancouver Outreach Team. Parks Canada aims to protect and preserve Canada’s national parks, national marine conservation areas and national historic sites for the present and for future generations. Through the Vancouver Outreach team, we are able to encourage Canadians to explore the rich history and nature this country has to offer.
My role involves developing and delivering programs and sharing messaging at various venues and locations with various partner organizations. The programs focus on connecting audiences with messaging from Canada’s national parks, marine conservation areas, historic sites, as well as about wildlife, geography, culture and history! In particular, I spent this summer sharing stories about some of the endangered and unique species that are present in Canada: sea otters, southern resident killer whales, and migratory birds! I was also able to curate and facilitate programs for the Canucks Autism Network and the Vancouver Maritime Museum’s KidsCamps.
As a returning student, I was able to grow in the workplace with various new responsibilities. I had the opportunity to start off the summer season by developing and delivering three training sessions for the new students for the team on interpretation and developing programs. I was also assigned as a mentor for one of the new students to the team to provide advice or suggestions when needed. Overall, the Coop program gave me the opportunity to spend an entirety of the summer engaging the public about species and causes that I am truly passionate about!
Veena Vinod
4th Year Natural Resource Conservation
