Thank you, Mr. Chair, for inviting me to speak to members of the committee today. My name is Tovah Barocas, and I'm the vice-president of external relations for Earth Rangers, which is the only national charity in Canada focused on empowering children and families to take action for the environment.
Earth Rangers is committed to engaging Canadian families in learning about and protecting species and their habitats, as well as addressing the impacts of climate change. For Canada to become a world leader in protected areas and in mitigating and adapting to climate change, public engagement is critical. With the digital community of 170,000 members and their families, in-school programs that reach 250,000 students annually, and a national television presence that garners millions of impressions, Earth Rangers reach is unmatched in the conservation community.
We are well positioned to help nurture and sustain a culture of environmental ambition, which is an important foundation to the Government of Canada's belief that the environment and economy go hand in hand.
Given Canada's dependence on our resource-based economy, it is critical that families understand the intrinsic link between our country's environment and economy. Through partnerships with industry, Earth Rangers effectively promotes sustainability and the need to balance environmental considerations and economic growth. This includes educating our audience on issues like sustainable forest management, land reclamation, and carbon offsets.
One of the most powerful and effective ways we reach children with these important messages is through our no-cost, in-school programs offered across Canada. From rural areas to inner cities, and most recently in the far north, we have grown to reach 900 schools in only four years, in large part due to our partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
These in-school programs are complemented by a robust and active membership base, which includes francophones, indigenous peoples, and new Canadians. We have surpassed our initial goal of activating 150,000 members ahead of Canada's 150th birthday. Earth Rangers currently has over 170,000 members across Canada. These members put what they learn into action in their communities through various sustainable activities and fundraising initiatives.
Our partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada not only contributed to this growth but also supported our French-language program in Quebec and our successful pilot program in northern Canada, which reached schools in Yellowknife, Whitehorse, and Iqaluit.
In addition to our work with the federal government, Earth Rangers has also developed new partnerships with provincial governments in Ontario and Alberta, as well as with various private sector partners.
Success in achieving Canada's climate change conservation and biodiversity goals is significantly dependent on sustained public education and engagement. Earth Rangers harnesses the inherent optimism and altruism of children through a program that provides tangible activities and outcomes for them to engage with their families and communities. The sense of pride and accomplishment that results from seeing the impact of their actions drives the ongoing participation of kids and parents and, in turn, our growth as an organization.
We believe that Earth Rangers is well positioned to help nurture and sustain a culture of environmental ambition and to help avoid the polarization that can happen around some of the policy choices that are needed to achieve important goals related to both conservation and decarbonization. Across the country, people need continuous reinforcement of the idea that our society can achieve environmental ambitions and fulfill economic hopes as well.
To meet these goals, Earth Rangers would like to diversify our programming and how we offer it to ensure we are reaching all Canadians with our conservation messages. This plan for growth and inclusion is the basis of our 2018 pre-budget request, which centres around three core initiatives.
The first is cultivating a generation of engaged, environmentally minded Canadians through the growth of our membership program. We have set an ambitious target of expanding membership from 170,000 youth to 300,000 young Canadians by 2020.
The second is expanding our digital programming to ensure we are able to reach youth in all parts of Canada, including rural and remote communities.
The third is developing new, long-term, indigenous-focused programming that will build off our successful programs in northern communities. It is important to note that we are not only focused on bringing our programs to indigenous communities, but also on educating and building an appreciation among non-indigenous youth for the rich history and contributions indigenous people have made and continue to make toward protecting our environment.
I would be pleased to elaborate on these three goals as a part of the question-and-answer period.
Given the important targets Canada has set for climate change and protected areas, we believe there is a significant need to communicate with and educate Canadians on the importance of conservation today for a healthy environment tomorrow.
We see a role for Earth Rangers to help communicate this with our expansive and growing audience of young Canadians and families across the country.
We want to establish a partnership with the Government of Canada that provides long-term, reliable, and sustainable funding to achieve our shared objectives. To that end, we have asked the Government of Canada for a commitment of $6 million over three years as part of the 2018 pre-budget process.
This funding would directly support the expansion of our programming, allowing us to engage more youth and their families across Canada in a real, tangible way.
We are confident we can build on the success of the last four years to communicate the importance of climate change adaptation, conservation, and the environment to children and families across the country.
I would like to invite you to ask more about our programs and about how, with your continued support, we can partner in engaging families on climate change education, action, and results.
Thank you.