4
      UPEI
      News
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sierra
      Youth
      Coalition
      comes
      to
      UPEI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      long
      standing
      environmental
      organization
     
    
   
   
    
     
      BY
      ERIN
      FAGAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “There
      is
      a
      pressing
      need
     
     
      for
      the
      youth
      all
      over
      the
      world
     
     
      to
      take
      an
      activepart
      in
      every
     
     
      level
      of
      decision
      making,
      since
     
     
      it
      affects
      their
      lives,
      and
      has
     
     
      far
      reaching
      effects
      on
      their
     
     
      future.”
      -
      statement
      made
      at
     
     
      Rio
      Earth
      Conference,
      1992.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Sierra
      Youth
      Coalition
     
     
      (SYC)
      isa
      long-standing
      envi-
     
     
      ronmental
      organization
      whose
     
     
      national
      coordinator,
      Amelia
     
     
      Clarke,
      visited
      the
      UPEI
      cam-
     
     
      pus
      this
      past
      week.
     
    

    
     
      As
      a
      result
      of
      Clarke’s
      re-
     
     
      gional
      tour,
      youth
      on
      Prince
     
     
      Edward
      Island
      have
      decided
     
     
      to
      initiate
      their
      own
      chapter
      of
     
     
      the
      SYC,
      which
      has
      been
      es-
     
     
      tablishing
      chapters
      across
     
     
      Canada
      for
      just
      under
      two
     
     
      years.
     
    

    
     
      Clarke
      held
      an
      information
     
     
      session
      in
      the
      Robertson
      Li-
     
     
      brary
      on
      October
      7,
      and
      spoke
     
     
      toa
      small
      group
      of
      students
      on
     
     
      campus
      concerning
      the
      envi-
     
     
      ronmental
      issues
      and
      cam-
     
     
      paigns
      with
      which
      the
      SYC
      is
     
     
      involved.
     
    

    
     
      This
      visit
      followed
      the
      pre-
     
     
      vious
      afternoon's
      presentation
     
     
      at
      Colonel
      Gray
      High
      School.
     
    

    
     
      Clarke,
      a
      Mount
      Allison
     
     
      University
      graduate,
      would
      like
     
     
      to
      see
      university
      students
      here
     
     
      become
      more
      involved
      in
      envi-
     
     
      ronmental
      issues.
     
    

    
     
      “If
      there
      is
      an
      environmen-
     
     
      tal
      group
      here
      we
      can
      support
     
     
      them,
      help
      them
      grow
      stronger,
     
     
      join
      them
      with
      our
      network.
      .
     
     
      .we
      do
      a
      lot
      of
      idea-sharing,”
     
     
      she
      said.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Sierra
      Youth
      Coalition
     
     
      was
      formed
      in
      Canadaa
      branch
     
     
      of
      the
      long-standing
      Sierra
     
     
      Club
      of
      Canada,
      which
      has
     
     
      been
      operating
      nation-wide
      for
     
     
      several
      decades.
     
    

    
     
      With
      about
      300
      members
     
     
      nation-wide,
      the
      organization
     
     
      focuses
      on
      local
      and
      national
     
     
      environmental
      campaigns,
      on
     
     
      the
      education,
      networking
      and
     
     
      empowerment
      of
      youth,
      and
     
     
      on
      offering
      a
      voice
      for
      youth
      in
     
     
      policy-making
      in
      social
      justice
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
      +
      13
      October
      1998
     
    
   
   
    
     
      seeks
      members
      on
      campus
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      environment
      issues.
     
    

    
     
      “We’re
      doing
      some
      amaz-
     
     
      ing
      things
      right
      now
      that
      relate
     
     
      to
      campuses,
      and
      it
      might
      just
     
     
      be
      the
      ideas
      that
      people
      hear
     
     
      from
      me
      that
      get
      them
      going,”
     
     
      Clarke
      continued.
     
    

    
     
      The
      broader
      Sierra
      Club,
     
     
      founded
      in
      the
      United
      States
      in
     
     
      1892
      by
      writer
      and
      naturalist
     
     
      John
      Muir,
      was
      formed
      origi-
     
     
      nally
      to
      protect
      the
      wilderness
     
     
      of
      the
      Sierra
      Nevada.
     
    

    
     
      “This
      was
      at
      a
      time
      when
     
     
      there
      were
      no
      protected
      ar-
     
     
      eas,
      and
      industrialization
      was
     
     
      increasing,”
      Clarke
      explained.
     
    

    
     
      Over
      the
      past
      century,
      the
     
     
      Sierra
      Club
      has
      been
      active
     
     
      with
      a
      wide
      range
      of
      issues,
     
     
      from
      climate
      change
      to
      the
     
     
      loss
      of
      biodiversity.
      It
      also
     
     
      sponsors
      activities
      to
      allow
     
     
      people
      to
      enjoy
      the
      outdoors
      in
     
     
      a
      variety
      of
      ways,
      such
      as
     
     
      nature-walking
      and
      boating,
     
     
      and
      to
      encourage
      preservation
     
     
      of
      protected
      areas
      around
      the
     
     
      world.
     
    

    
     
      Clarke,
      while
      discussing
      her
     
     
      work
      withthe
      SYC,
      pinpointed
     
     
      Girl
      Guides
      as
      the
      root
      of
      life-
     
     
      long
      interest
      in
      the
      outdoors
     
     
      and
      preservation.
     
    

    
     
      “That
      got
      me
      camping,
      and
     
     
      then
      I
      fell
      in
      love
      with
      the
     
     
      woods
      and
      the
      lakes.”
     
    

    
     
      “T
      first
      joined
      a
      club
      in
      high
     
     
      school,
      and
      we
      did
      things
      like
     
     
      roadside
      cleaning
      and
      planting
     
     
      trees
      and
      recycling,”
      Clarke
     
     
      said.
      “And
      when
      I
      went
      to
     
     
      Mount
      Allison,
      I
      became
      fur-
     
     
      ther
      involved.
      We
      hosted
      con-
     
     
      ferences
      and
      became
      involved
     
     
      in
      a
      particular
      campaign,
      and
     
     
      that
      is
      when
      I
      learned
      about
     
     
      how
      political
      structures
      work.”
     
    

    
     
      Clarke
      described
      her
      first
     
     
      major
      campaign
      in
      New
     
     
      Brunswick,
      as
      well
      as
      the
      dif-
     
     
      ficulties
      faced
      while
      trying
      to
     
     
      ensure
      protection
      of
      the
      Tast
     
     
      stand
      of
      old-growth
      forest
      in
     
     
      that
      province.
     
    

    
     
      She
      explained
      that
      she
      de-
     
     
      veloped
      stronger
      tactics
      as
      a
     
     
      result
      of
      the
      hardships
      she
      en-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      countered
      while
      working
      in
     
     
      New
      Brunswick.
      When
      she
     
     
      began
      work
      on
      anational
      level,
     
     
      she
      realized
      that
      there
      was
      no
     
     
      national
      youth
      environmental
     
     
      group.
      There
      was
      a
      need
      for
     
     
      suchan
      organization,
      and,
      con-
     
     
      sequently,
      SYC
      was
      formed.
     
    

    
     
      Clarke
      is
      hopeful
      that
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      will
      appreciate
      their
      role
     
    
   
   
    
     
      practice
      on
      a
      personal
      level,”
     
     
      she
      said.
      “They
      need
      a
      mar-
     
     
      riage
      of
      these
      beliefs
      with
      ac-
     
     
      tivism.
      .
      .to
      take
      the
      next
      step
     
     
      and
      relate
      what
      you
      are
      learn-
     
     
      ing
      in
      yourcourses
      orto
      create
     
     
      change
      in
      the
      real
      world.”
     
     
      “Things
      here
      on
      campus
     
     
      make
      a
      difference
      too.
      .
      .so
      it's
     
     
      important
      to
      create
      change
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      here
      as
      well,”
      she
      added.
     
     
      For
      more
      information,
     
    

    
     
      look
      up
      the
      following
      :
      http:/
     
    

    
     
      /www.
      sierraclub.ca/syc
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Wal
      On
      TaD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      DAYS
      OF
      ACTIO
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OCTOBER
      13-16,
      1998
     
    
   
   
    
     
      From
      coast
      to
      coast,
      students
      are
      calling
      on
     
     
      federal
      Finance
      Minister
      Paul
      Martin
      and
      the
      federal
      Liberals
      to:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      the
      evolution
      of
      environ-
     
     
      mental
      strategies.
     
    

    
     
      “Most
      people
      believe
      in
      en-
     
     
      vironmental
      ethics
      and
      many
     
    
   
   
    
     
      e
      Restore
      transfer
      payments
      to
      1993
      levels
     
    
   
   
    
     
      'S
     
     
      puLL
      ies
      ;
     
     
      STR
      Ss?
      Fund
      a
      tuition
      fee
      freeze
     
    
   
   
    
     
      +
      ea
     
     
      '
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      e
      Transform
      the
      Millennium
      Scholarships
     
     
      into
      grants
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      e
      Stop
      punishing
      students
      and
      end
     
     
      student
      loan
      bankruptcy
      discrimination
     
    
   
   
    
     
      e
      Prohibit
      private,
      for-profit
      education:
     
     
      some
      things
      are
      not
      for
      sale
     
    
   
   
    
     
      If
      students
      are
      not
      satisfied
      with
      the
      federal
      government's
      response,
     
     
      a
      Day
      of
      Strike
      and
      Action
      will
      be
      called
      for
      February
      1999.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Call
      1-800-789-5870
     
     
      (566-0530
      in
      Charlottetown)
      to
      get
      involved
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Canadian
      Federation
      of
      Students
     
     
      www.cfs-fcee.ca
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CUPE
      /
      SCFP
      1281