Graduate student Sondra Eger recently attended the once-per-decade World Parks Congress (WPC) as a World Commission of Protected Areas (WCPA) - “Young Professional.”
“I was initially drawn to the idea of attending the WPC because I wanted to get more involved with the international conservation community, and to network for potential career opportunities in the future,” says Eger.
Just 30 applicants were selected from the competition to attend the Pre- Congress Capacity Development Workshop for Young Leaders/Professionals at the World Parks Congress, which was held in in Sydney, Australia between November 7 to 19, 2014.
“I felt so grateful after obtaining the necessary funds to attend the WPC from my Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign,” Eger says. “Then to be selected to partake in the pre-congress event, I felt so fortunate.”
The World Parks Congress is a global forum on protected areas that shares knowledge and innovation while setting the agenda for protected areas conservation. The Congress is run by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the WCPA –YP’s were responsible in helping lead Stream 8: Inspiring a New Generation.
Eger is working towards her Masters of Environmental Studies – Geography and Environmental Management with a specialization in Integrated Water Management.
“I hoped participating in WPC would allow me to also gain up to date information from global experts to integrate wider perspectives into my final thesis,“ she says.
Eger joined 29 other young professionals in the “capacity development workshop,” a four-day retreat in the Blue Mountains, a World Heritage Site located near Sydney, which provided a collective space for young leaders to exchange skills and knowledge. The result of the workshop was the development of a draft Young People’s Pact and Action Plan for People, Parks and Planet. The pact and the action plan include a framework statement and a schedule of commitments to action on protected areas. The workshop included nature excursions, eco-restoration activities, dialogues with local communities and indigenous peoples, and an innovative session at Google Australia headquarters.
“It was empowering to experience Australia amongst other passionate emerging young leaders from all over the world and assist in the collective development of tools and ways to engage and inspire others to connect their projects and efforts on a global scale.”
One of the post-congress commitments including sharing and disseminating materials that were co-created throughout the workshop and the WPC, such as the Pact.
“We have already had measurable success, which include sharing the vision of “A new generation of conservation” at the closing Plenary at WPC as well as gaining the support and engagement of decision makers (most recently the Mexican Commissioner of Natural Protected Areas) and other inspired young people,” explains Eger.
Future outcomes will feature Coco Maps, an online platform to connect and share experiences globally, and an intergeneration mentorship framework to assist companies and organizations to take on more young people into workspaces and decision-making positions.
“I have forged personal and working relationships with other young professionals and hope that others can do the same through the numerous groups such as WCPA-YP, Global Youth Ambassadors (GYA), etc., and online platforms such as Coco Maps and Coalition Wild,” says Eger.
Another recent activity was an iACT webinar on The Pact in the IUCN WPC series“Activating ‘Our Pact for Parks, People and Planet’ to obtain further opinions, commitments and effective pathways to further engage young people around the world.
Eger has also written online about her experiences.
Story from the University of Waterloo Daily Bulletin