Rosemary Jose (EngSci 1T9) played The Game with ILead last year. Her team took home the top prize for examining how to mitigate food waste in Toronto. You can read more about that here! Since finishing The Game, Rosemary has joined Waterlution, a water-focused non-profit, as a Youth Advisory Board Member. She is also VP Logistics for the NSight Mentorship Program and Social media Coordinator for Destination Imagination Ontario, and last year was a mentor for Hi-Skule. Learn more about Rosemary’s involvement in Waterlution and The Game below.
1. What is Waterlution? What do you do at Waterlution?
Waterlution is a water-focused non-profit that works across Canada and internationally to engage young leaders and organizations towards inclusive, sustainable ways to manage water.
I currently work with Waterlution as a Youth Advisory Board Member. I am helping facilitate an amazing youth engagement program called the Great Waters Challenge. I’ve been mainly committed to working in external relations by establishing partnerships with groups and organizations across Canada.
2. What is the Great Waters Challenge?
The Great Waters Challenge is an online participatory challenge about water. It is designed as a game that inspires youth to uncover stories about how Canada’s identity is connected to its waterways in the lead up to Canada’s 150th anniversary. In fostering a personal relationship between youth and our Canadian waters, we are motivating them towards healthier and more sustainable interactions with water in the future – as agents of change. I think it is an exciting and educational program, for all youth and especially those looking for an outlet to become more socially and environmentally conscious.
I encourage other students to take the challenge! Deadline to sign up is October 3rd. More info is available at: www.waterlution.org/GWC
3. What motivated you to get involved?
I’ve always been an environmentally conscious person. It’s been clear for a while now that if we continue treating our planet and its resources the way we do now, as a species, we will soon be on the brink of disaster. I believe that the best way to change this and to motivate people towards sustainable development is to make them aware of and concerned about the negative impact we have on our environment. Getting involved with Waterlution enables me to create this behavioural change while at the same time working with a group of like-minded passionate people, and using a positive approach to inspire change and agency among people my age.
4. What skills or knowledge from The Game are you applying to your role at Waterlution?
Being part of The Game last year taught me a lot about tackling complex multi-dimensional real world problems. I learned about behavioural science, particularly about nudge theory, which speaks to using indirect suggestions to influence groups. This is something that I find especially useful when tackling environmentalism and sustainability. More than anything else, working with and around so many incredible, motivated individuals in The Game gave me the confidence to take on a national project like this that I otherwise may not have taken on.
5. What does leadership mean to you?
To me, being a leader is about empowering others. It is about helping others recognize their true potential, overcome fear and work towards achieving their dreams.