Our Turning the Tides youth teams have been busy this summer and fall, bringing creativity, learning, and environmental action to communities in Hamilton and Burlington!
Using the skills and knowledge they’ve built through the initiative, these young leaders designed and delivered hands-on workshops to engage and inspire their communities to take action on plastic pollution.
Read to Recycle: Learning Through Play
Led by Soraya Rosli, Sophia Rosli and Jamie Hazeu, the Read to Recycle team hosted a series of lively workshops this October at the Westmount Recreation Centre in Hamilton. Designed for young children and families, the sessions introduced the basics of recycling, reducing waste, and reusing everyday items, through stories, games, and hands-on crafting activities.
Kids became “Eco-Warriors” as they explored sorting games, learned about microplastics through fun science activities, and created colourful crafts from everyday materials. The workshops inspired children to make small changes at home and at school to reduce waste, helping them connect their everyday choices to the health of our planet.
The youth team is also developing an original picture book that will bring recycling to life through vibrant illustrations and kid-friendly storytelling.
Reimagining Plastic: Art with Impact
In Burlington, Reimagining Plastic, led by Payal Mehta, Malaika Khan and Ayel Vivares, turned the RioCan Burlington Centre into a hub of creativity through four summer upcycling workshops. Participants of all ages learned how to transform single-use plastics into both functional and artistic creations, giving everyday waste a beautiful new purpose.
At each workshop, participants learned simple, creative ways to reimagine plastic waste: turning bottles into planters and pen holders, crafting colourful mosaics and coasters from caps, reshaping spoons into decorative flowers and wall art, and transforming snack wrappers into vibrant pouches and bookmarks. Every session brought the community together to learn, create, and discuss reducing plastic pollution, one craft at a time. By engaging children, families, and the broader community, Turning the Tides continues to empower the next generation of environmental leaders to take action against plastic pollution.
