Hamilton Baywatch
Project Details
My main goal with Hamilton Baywatch is to improve the community’s relationship and understanding of water-related issues in Hamilton. By running clothing drives, organizing cleanups and interviewing industry experts, I was able to raise awareness about the significance of sustainability.
Project Description
. Hamilton’s harbour and bay is designated as an ‘Area of Concern’ under Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem, also known as COA. My goal was to inform and stimulate interest in local water quality issues and educate the local people about the water issues in Hamilton. We aimed to develop a two-way conversation with the public and create a space for discussion, learning and recognition around Hamilton Bay issues. I led various cleanups and discussions about water quality in Hamilton. With Freestore, I hosted several clothing drives and the donations were given to shelter homes. Some donations were used to make quilts for seniors.
What was your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge was doing in person events. Owing to Covid-19, it was pretty hard and therefore I was not able to host any initially. However, as the situation improved, I was able to do more in-person events and engage with people.
What was your most valuable takeaway?
People are always interested to make a difference, however, someone has to lead and push them to take action. When I started, I felt like nobody would be interested in my projects, however, by engaging people I was able to grow my projects exponentially and both the groups had over 20 members.
