Raising Funds to Support Inclusive Birding

We are sponsoring a fund raiser to support an important but often neglected part of birding. The inclusion "of young people of diverse geographic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds" into the hobby of birding. Birding "connects young people with nature and through this, cultivates an understanding of, passion for, and commitment to, the natural world and its conservation." By connecting more people of all ages and backgrounds we support and honour the inspirational statement of Baba Dioum "In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught." Baba Dioum first spoke these words in 1968 at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
 

The Birding Backpack Project

Ontario Nature in collaboration with For Youth Initiative (FYI) will connect under-represented youth in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) with the outdoors and wild bird conservation, by providing resources for youth participants, reducing identified barriers and fostering a connection with and appreciation for nature within the city.

Conversations with the participants of the Nature Guardians Youth Program, identified key barriers that youth face in engaging with the birding community. Barriers included: a lack of access to equipment, transportation, birding knowledge, and fewer chances to spend time in nearby parks and green spaces due to lack of opportunities outside of school.

Ontario Nature and FYI have been piloting a Birding Backpack Loan Program with useful equipment (i.e. binoculars and guides) as a tool for encouraging cross-organization mentorship and continued youth engagement in the outdoors, and to assess the effectiveness of our activities in reducing barriers to birding.

 

Bucket Draw Fund Raiser 

The format of our fund raiser to support inclusive birding is referred to as a bucket draw. There will be six items available to be won. Including the following binoculars:

  • Zeiss Terra ED 10x42
  • Celestron Nature DX 8x42
  • Vortex Crossfire 8x42

You purchase as many tickets as you like, you then place as many tickets as you want into the bucket (representing the draw item). The more tickets you place in any one bucket improves your odds of winning the one item. For example, you purchase twenty-five tickets and the only item you want to win is the Zeiss Terra ED 10x42 binoculars - you would put all twenty-five tickets in that bucket. This gives you better odds of winning the Terra's than someone who only puts in one ticket but not as good odds as someone who purchased fifty tickets and puts them all in that bucket. Your winning strategy might be purchase sixty tickets, place ten in every bucket and have a chance of winning one or more of six items. It is a fun and strategic fund raising process.

All proceeds from the fund raiser go to the On Nature/For Youth Initiative Birding Backpack Project.

Cash Ticket Prices

1 ticket for $2
3 tickets for $5
10 tickets for $10
25 tickets for $20

Please bring cash for ticket purchases 

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