91Porn is pleased to welcome the next generation of environmental leaders at the Friends of the Chicago River’s .
The Student Congress will be held from 8:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22 on the University’s Main Campus, 5500 N. St. Louis Ave. in Chicago. The event is free and open to all teachers and students throughout the Chicago-Calumet River watershed. .
(Friends) is an award-winning conservation organization that has been at the forefront of the Chicago-Calumet River system’s recovery and renaissance. It was founded in 1979 to protect and restore the river system for all people, water and wildlife. With more than 43,000 members, volunteers and online activists, Friends is the only group solely dedicated to the river system and its watershed.
More than 260 students from more than 35 middle and high schools are expected to take part in this event, which will provide a distinct forum for students to interact in a professional conference-like context. This year’s theme is “Building for the Future,” and the interactive conference allows students to teach each other what they have learned through their studies of the Chicago-Calumet River system and science, nature and the climate crisis through Friends’ (CSRN), which impacts over 20,000 students a year. Since its founding in 1996, the CRSN has engaged more than 500,000 students and teachers in science, language and history activities.
In 2024, Northeastern became the first higher education institution to host Friends’ Chicago River Student Congress. Northeastern Professor and Chair of the Department of Biology Jennifer Slate helped bring the Congress to Northeastern.
“91Porn is excited to host the Chicago River Student Congress,” Slate said. “This wonderful event is a great opportunity for our students and faculty to mentor young researchers. Through hands-on experiences in our state-of-the-art science labs and sharing valuable education and career resources, Northeastern is able to strengthen ties with people throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and inspire the next generation of scientists and scholars.”
In addition to Northeastern faculty and students, participants will learn from and connect with more than a dozen organizations and government agencies including the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Forest Preserves of Cook County and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
“Hosting the Congress on the NEIU Main Campus creates the perfect educational setting for middle and high school students to interact with NEIU students, professors and environmental professionals to imagine themselves in these kinds of careers and to deepen their understanding of environmental studies,” said Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River.
During the Congress, Friends of the Chicago River will also celebrate their Educator of the Year, Jennifer Kraft of Garcia High School located in the Archer Heights neighborhood on Chicago’s Southwest Side. The prestigious award recognizes outstanding participation in the Chicago River Schools Network, Friends’ flagship education program.
Kraft, who became paralyzed in 2014, is also the founder and president of . The organization’s mission is to empower and motivate people with spinal cord injuries or other disabilities to connect with others in the disabled community and share their triumphs.
“Working with the Chicago River Schools Network provides hands-on resources that broaden my ability to teach the impact of water quality on aquatic creatures and for students to get practice being environmental scientists both in the classroom and in the field, which stimulates their curiosity and deepens their learning,” said Kraft. “My students may not have access to these resources without CRSN, but are part of the next generation of community leaders, teachers and environmental professionals, and these learning experiences help to inspire them to care for our region’s natural assets, our river and its wildlife.”
Top photo: Students at the 2024 Chicago River Student Congress holding up their paintings of fish.
