Being a young person trying to break into the conservation world can be intimidating. While there are many opportunities out there, a lot of youth are faced with imposter syndrome and not feeling as though there is a meaningful space for them. Stay tuned for this episode where 2018 alumni Marie-Philippe Ouellet is interviewed by Sarah Maclean, and they discuss their experiences with conservation-related opportunities and spaces for youth and how MP has navigated this world.
Marie-Philippe Ouellet
Marie-Philippe Ouellet is a young professional working in the conservation sector as the Parks Canada Media Relation Officer. Born and raised in Berthierville (Québec, Canada), she has always lived with one foot in the country and one foot in the city, though it was only when she moved to Quebec City for her studies that she began to truly appreciate and prioritize finding balance between urban life and access to nature. She completed her bachelor’s at the Université Laval, and now holds a degree in public communications with a minor in sustainable tourism.
Marie-Philippe first began her career at Parks Canada as a student in 2017, working as a core member of the Franklin Expedition team to shed light on the tragic story of the expedition and to amplify local Inuit knowledge on the historical shipwrecks. Since then, an amazing array of opportunities within the agency has come her way, from engaging with Canadians on northern national park experiences, to building partnerships and collaborations in the international conservation field, and most recently, serving as a lead organizer and host of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Youth Summit in April 2021.
At the core of all of Marie-Philippe’s work is her passion for empowering young people to meaningfully participate in the conservation sector. She is a proud Student On Ice 2018 Alumni and an Ocean Bridge 2019 Alumni.
In 2021, Marie-Philippe received the Micah Messant Young Professional Award of Excellence from the Canadian Parks Council in recognition of her leadership in building the first ever IUCN Global Youth Summit.
As a dreamer who pushes boundaries, Marie-Philippe is constantly following her passions and putting new projects in motion. You are most likely to find her somewhere in the great outdoors, hiding beside her camera, taking in the sunset, or laughing with friends and family.
Sarah MacNeil
Sarah MacNeil is a writer, translator, facilitator, traveller, and dreamer who had the good fortune of growing up on the shores of Mi’kma’ki, in the small Acadian village of Pomquet, Nova Scotia. Shaped by the winds and the tides of the Atlantic, as well as the French, Gaelic, and Mi’kmaq language and culture deeply present in her surrounding community, Sarah has always pursued opportunities that favour sharing stories and deepening connections to places and through time. Sarah completed her undergraduate degree at the Université de Moncton (New Brunswick) in 2016, receiving a Bachelors in Translation, and completed her Master of Arts with a concentration in literary translation at the University of Ottawa (Ontario) in 2020. Throughout her studies, Sarah spent many years working as a museum interpreter and guide until she joined Parks Canada in 2016 as a summer student. Through her time with the Kouchibouguac National Park, the Learn-to Camp team, the Brands Team, and the Northern Engagement Team, Sarah engaged with countless Canadians on the vast, interconnected ecosystems across the country, and deepened her knowledge of the people who call these places home. As part of her work with the Northern Engagement Team, Sarah was privileged to participate in the Students on Ice Arctic Expedition in 2018, which would prove life-changing in more than a few ways. From a casual shipboard conversation, she was quickly launched into the fast-paced world of the Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition (COLC), working to build momentum and position ocean literacy in Canada in the lead-up to the 2021-2030 United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. In March 2021, COLC launched Land, Water, Ocean, Us: A Canadian Ocean Literacy Strategy, of which Sarah is a co-author; the project has since won a Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation in postdoctoral research. Sarah was also the lead organizer of the first (virtual) coordinated Ocean Week Canada celebrations, which took place in June 2021. Since stepping back from the Coalition, Sarah is exploring other facets of the world in which we live and finding new ways to be involved. |
This interview is made possible with the support from the Leacross Foundation.
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