During Columbia River Treaty community workshops in May/June 2012, Basin residents urged the Columbia River Treaty Review team to educate and engage youth on the Treaty Review. To encourage youth attendance at the November 2012 community workshops, the Columbia River Treaty Review Team provided information about the workshops to high schools and instructors at College of the Rockies and Selkirk College. Approximately twenty-five students from a college class attended one session, and overall about half a dozen high school students also attended sessions.

The Treaty Review Team is now going to Basin youth to talk to them about the Columbia River Treaty and the Treaty Review. The Team will be hosting a booth at the East Kootenay Regional Science Fair for kindergarten to grade 12 students at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook on March 1 and 2, 2013. The theme of the Science Fair is water co-operation so information about the Columbia River Treaty will fit right in!

On February 28, the day before the Science Fair begins, the Treaty Review Team will host a booth at the College of the Rockies Cranbrook campus to provide students with information about the Columbia River Treaty and the Columbia River Treaty Review, and to answer questions and gather feedback on Treaty-related issues of concern to students.

The Columbia River Treaty Review Team is exploring other opportunities to provide Columbia River Treaty and Treaty review information to other students and gather feedback from them. Look in future newsletters for updates on Columbia River Treaty Review youth engagement.