Calgary youth recognized with 2026 Jack Leslie Youth Environmental Grants

Young Hearts Old Souls Canadian Youth receive a Jack Leslie Youth Environmental Grant for Beyond the Cleanup - Habitat Restoration Project.

Kamila receives a Jack Leslie Youth Environmental Grant for The Little Bee Helper’s Pollinator Pit Stop.

CALGARY — Three youth-led projects that are helping protect and improve Calgary’s environment have been awarded the 2026 Jack Leslie Youth Environmental Grants. The recipients will be celebrated today at a virtual award ceremony with students, teachers, families and partners in attendance.

The Jack Leslie Youth Environmental Grant provides up to $2,500 in total funding each year to support youth-designed projects that make a visible environmental difference in Calgary. In 2026, two group projects received $1,000 each and one individual project received $500.

This year’s recipients are:

Woodlands School – “Outdoor Learning Commons Land Stewardship Garden” – Grade 6 students will create a native pollinator garden and outdoor learning space to support biodiversity.
Young Hearts Old Souls Canadian Youth Ltd. – “Beyond the Cleanup: Youth-Led Habitat Restoration & Environmental Learning Project” – Youth will plan and lead habitat restoration and environmental learning activities in a southwest Calgary park/green space, building on prior pathway and river cleanup work.
Kamila from Battalion Park School – “The Little Bee Helper’s Pollinator Pit Stop” – An elementary student will make and share wildflower seed bombs (“bee food balls”) to encourage pollinator-friendly planting.

“These projects show how creative youth can be in helping preserve the natural environment we all enjoy when you provide support and a platform,” said Evangeline Eldridge, Public Program Coordinator, Climate & Environment. “From planting native pollinator gardens and restoring habitat to sharing seed bombs that help bring native wildflowers into neighbourhoods, these students are taking real action in their schools and communities.”

Grant recipients were selected by the Calgary Youth Foundation Committee at Youth Central, with support from program partners including The City of Calgary, Parks Foundation Calgary and the Jack Leslie family.

The Jack Leslie Youth Environmental Grant was created in 2004 to honour former Mayor Jack Leslie’s legacy of championing Calgary’s parks and natural areas. The grant encourages youth from across the city to continue that legacy by leading their own hands-on environmental projects in schools and communities.