(Unceded Algonquin Territory, Ottawa, August 8, 2023) — Nature Canada, with the support of Clif Bar, is proud to celebrate Lauren Castelino of Toronto, Ontario, as a recipient of the Clif Bar Young Nature Leaders Grant. This grant encourages, fosters and nurtures youth to demonstrate their leadership in nature.

Lauren will develop and lead a hiking excursion in Southern Ontario for young women of colour to discover the outdoors.

“I’m excited to host a three day camping adventure where young BIPOC, women, and newcomers can acquire new skills and knowledge in outdoor spaces. I believe that this project will help to bridge the gap between opportunity and access to nature, especially with underrepresented youth,” said Lauren Castelino.

Clif Bar is sponsoring Nature Canada’s Young Nature Leader Grant program this year. This support has allowed the program to double the number of youth projects recognized to 10. Alongside Lauren, CLIF’s support sponsored grants to these youth-led nature projects:

• Aranya Iyer of Mississauga, Ontario;
• Lauren Lawson of Toronto, Ontario;
• Chevaun Toulouse of Sagamok First Nation; and
• Megan Turluk of Kelowna, British Columbia.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Nature Canada to connect youth from diverse backgrounds with nearby nature by supporting activities that promote equal access and participation for all,” said Hilary Hanley, Managing Director of CLIF’s Canada business. “Ensuring that young people can enjoy time in the outdoors is vital to their physical and mental health and the overall well-being of our culture.”

The Young Nature Leaders Grant began in 2017 to empower youth to develop and implement a youth-led, community-based project centered around nature and sustainability in Canada. This year’s recipients join an impressive list of previous recipients with unique and complementary ideas.

Related Links:

Recipients of the 2023 Young Nature Leaders Grant
Overview of the Young Nature Leaders Grant Recipients

For media assistance please contact:

Scott Mullenix, Director of Communications
613-462-4024
media@naturecanada.ca

For information on the Young Nature Leaders grant please contact:

Jodi Joy, Director of Development, Nature Canada
613-295-6769 | 1-800-267-4088
jjoy@naturecanada.ca

About Nature Canada

Nature Canada was founded in 1939 because of the passion and initiative of Mabel Frances Whittemore, a teacher and nature lover whose main goal in life was to share her passion for nature with others. Today, Nature Canada represents a network of over 175,000 members and supporters and more than 1200 nature organizations across the country. Over the past 85 years, Nature Canada has helped protect more than 110 million acres of parks and wildlife areas in Canada and countless species that depend on this habitat and connected hundreds of thousands of Canadians — especially children — with nature through its activities.

About Clif Bar

For more than 30 years, Clif Bar has crafted nutritious and organic food for CLIF®, CLIF Kid®, and LUNA® and is committed to sustaining its people, community, planet, brands, and business. Clif Bar is part of the Mondelēz International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDLZ) portfolio of brands empowering people to snack right in over 150 countries around the world. With 2022 net revenues of approximately $31 billion, Mondelēz is leading the future of snacking with iconic global and local brands such as Clif Bar, Oreo, Ritz, LU, and Tate’s Bake Shop biscuits and baked snacks, as well as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone chocolate. Mondelēz International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor’s 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index. For more information about Clif Bar, please visit www.clifbar.ca or check us out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.