LET'S TAKE ACTION!!!!
With the provincial government reaching out to the people of the province for their input on what matters to them, this is the time for us to have our voices heard! Join us on April 8th for a DAY OF ACTION!
Date: Monday, April 8, 2013
Location: Wherever you are!
Time: ALL DAY!
What can you do?
1. Call your local MPP and tell them you disagree with the Ontario Ranger Program closure!
Be sure to mention that when truly considering the cost of a program - an incredibly efficient and meaningful program - we must consider the cost of its loss to our youth, our provincial legacy, and our future. It makes absolutely no sense to develop new youth strategies and other youth initiatives while simultaneously cutting a time tested, efficient and effective program which is widely adored by its participants and routinely called "the best summer of my life."
Find your MPP's contact information here: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_current.do?locale=en
2. Email Kathleen Wynne (Premier of Ontario) and David Orazietti (Minister of Natural Resources)!
kwynne.mpp@liberal.ola.org
dorazietti.mpp@liberal.ola.org
Please feel free to copy and paste the following statement:
"Dear Mr. David Orazietti/Honourable Kathleen Wynne,
I am writing you today to implore you to reverse the proposed changes to the Ontario Ranger Program, a highly successful, community building, transformative youth program recently cancelled for 2013.
This program has proven throughout its 68-year legacy that it upholds the standards of a high-quality youth program run by the Ontario public service. It has upheld its mission by developing the knowledge and skills of youth in ecological sustainability and integrated natural resources management through educational, practical and meaningful work experiences for participants. Through program opportunities, the Ontario Ranger Program promotes an enhanced understanding and awareness of Ontario's natural resources management and supports the development of participant personal life and leadership skills.
We have heard that the government is devising a youth employment strategy - something that will engage its citizens, allow youth to learn new skills while earning money, and promote the public service as being one of the best employers out there. The Ontario Ranger Program is the answer and the solution! This program is already well established as being a successful, effective youth employment endeavour. Why invest tax dollars to reinvent the wheel, while cutting a historical legacy?
The new Premier's Council on Youth Opportunities is supposed to ensure that young people across the province have the tools they need to help them succeed. The Honourable Kathleen Wynne stated herself: "If we want young people to succeed, we need to understand their priorities and concerns. By giving them a voice, we will support their development and secure a brighter future for all the people of this province." The Chair of the Premier's Council on Youth Opportunities has said, "through the establishment of the Premier's Council on Youth Opportunities, Ontario has demonstrated a bold commitment to ensuring that programs and supports for youth reflect the needs, wants and expectations of young people and their allies.
When truly considering the cost of a program - an incredibly efficient and meaningful program - we must consider the cost of its loss to our youth, our provincial legacy, and our future. It makes absolutely no sense to develop new youth strategies and other youth initiatives while simultaneously cutting a time tested, efficient and effective program which is widely adored by its participants and routinely called "the best summer of my life."
Please save the Ontario Ranger Program! Save a program that matters to youth!"
3. Get on twitter!
For the first time ever, the Ontario Government is soliciting budget ideas over twitter. Because this is new, they are ACTUALLY LISTENING. The discussion is found at @ONgov, and the hashtag to use is #budgettalks. Defend the Ontario Ranger Program!
What to write? …Youth employment, training, experience, efficient, effective, value for money, north meets south, environment, best summer of my life…. the words are up to you. Link it to our website if you like (www.friendsoftheorp.com), and use the term ‘Ontario Rangers’. No matter what you choose to write, these are 140 characters that will count!
4. Write a blog post about your experience with the Ontario Ranger Program!
Tell us about your ranger experience and how it changed your life! Check out our website for recent blog submissions as well as guidelines on how to submit your own! Weren't a ranger? Write a blog post about how the program influenced someone you know!
5. Print our petition and collect as many signatures are you can!
Stand on a street corner! Go knocking on doors! Find it on our Petition page and download the petition. Print it, gather as many signatures as you possibly can and then mail your petition to Allison Hauser, who will submit the collected petitions! Please read the guidelines so all signatures you collect count!
Friends of the Ontario Ranger Program
c/o Allison Hauser
815 Berkshire Drive
London Ontario
N6J 3S6
HELP US TAKE ACTION AND SAVE THE ONTARIO RANGER PROGRAM!
Events
DAY OF ACTION
As part of our continued effort to gain awareness of the Ontario Ranger Program being cut, we have launched a blog to share your stories of what the Ontario Ranger Program meant to you or how it influenced your live. We welcome not only alumni, but also OR partners and supporters. Please email us if you are interested in contributing.
SAVE THE ONTARIO RANGER PROGRAM- HELP US HELP YOUTH RALLY
SAVE THE ONTARIO RANGER PROGRAM- HELP US HELP YOUTH RALLY
Date: January 4th 2013 Time: 1:30pm- 2:00pmLocation: Queen's Park, Toronto
Date: January 4th 2013
Time: 1:30pm- 2:00pm
Location: Queen's Park, Toronto
January 1, 2013 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Save the Ontario Ranger Program – Help Us Help Youth Rally
Queen’s Park, Toronto – January 4, 2013 @ 1:30 p.m.
Today marks the beginning of the new year and for many people in Ontario and around the world this means a fresh start or making resolutions for 2013. For the youth of Ontario, the coming of 2013 means the end of a 68-year-old legacy. Normally, January 1st is the deadline for applications to be submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources’ Ontario Ranger Program. This year the 17-year-old youth of Ontario will miss a chance to apply to experience this historical program because the Ontario government has decided that it is not worth it.
Started in 1944, the Ontario Ranger Program has been providing youth with a work and education experience like no other. With 13 work camps spread across the province, thousands of youth have had the opportunity to live and work with their peers, learn about sustainable resource management, gain important life lessons and employable skills, and truly have a summer that they will never forget. With the Ontario government’s decision to close the Ontario Ranger camps, this important youth opportunity will be no more. This means the loss of hundreds of jobs for youth and an economic loss for the small communities close to where the camps were based. Most importantly, this means the loss of thousands of hours of work done for community groups and organizations that do not have the people power to complete them, which could mean a loss of services to the communities nearby.
On January 4th, 2013, The Friends of the Ontario Ranger Program will be holding a rally to protest the closure of the Ontario Ranger camps at Queen’s Park in Toronto, Ontario. The Friends of the Ontario Ranger Program is a group of people who have a vested interest in the program, either because they were themselves an Ontario Ranger or they know someone who was and understand the importance of this youth experience. Please join us at 1:30 p.m. to show the Ontario government that we are not okay with their decision and that we expect more from the leaders of our province. Help us help youth become the leaders of Ontario’s future!
Save the Ontario Ranger Program – Help Us Help Youth Rally
Queen’s Park, Toronto – January 4, 2013 @ 1:30 p.m.
Today marks the beginning of the new year and for many people in Ontario and around the world this means a fresh start or making resolutions for 2013. For the youth of Ontario, the coming of 2013 means the end of a 68-year-old legacy. Normally, January 1st is the deadline for applications to be submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources’ Ontario Ranger Program. This year the 17-year-old youth of Ontario will miss a chance to apply to experience this historical program because the Ontario government has decided that it is not worth it.
Started in 1944, the Ontario Ranger Program has been providing youth with a work and education experience like no other. With 13 work camps spread across the province, thousands of youth have had the opportunity to live and work with their peers, learn about sustainable resource management, gain important life lessons and employable skills, and truly have a summer that they will never forget. With the Ontario government’s decision to close the Ontario Ranger camps, this important youth opportunity will be no more. This means the loss of hundreds of jobs for youth and an economic loss for the small communities close to where the camps were based. Most importantly, this means the loss of thousands of hours of work done for community groups and organizations that do not have the people power to complete them, which could mean a loss of services to the communities nearby.
On January 4th, 2013, The Friends of the Ontario Ranger Program will be holding a rally to protest the closure of the Ontario Ranger camps at Queen’s Park in Toronto, Ontario. The Friends of the Ontario Ranger Program is a group of people who have a vested interest in the program, either because they were themselves an Ontario Ranger or they know someone who was and understand the importance of this youth experience. Please join us at 1:30 p.m. to show the Ontario government that we are not okay with their decision and that we expect more from the leaders of our province. Help us help youth become the leaders of Ontario’s future!