Girls Can Too Program Highlights a Decade of Building Career Pathways to the Skilled Trades and Environmental Restoration Sectors
October 20, 2025, Toronto, ON – Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Girls Can Too program with a special event at Heart Lake Conservation Park on Friday, October 17.
This milestone event brought together program alumni, educators, funders, partners, and industry and community leaders to recognize the achievements of the past decade. It also provided an opportunity to reflect on the profound impact of Girls Can Too.
Alumni, educators, funders, partners, and others gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Girls Can Too program.
The program has helped young women and female-identifying youth across the region build confidence, gain leadership skills, and explore career pathways in the skilled trades and environmental restoration sectors.
The event opened with a drumming ceremony led by Four Colours Drum Circle. Notable guests included Darryl Gray, TRCA’s Director of Education and Training; Hannah Bradshaw, Regional Manager, Metro Ontario Region, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation; and Danielle Scepanovic and Nadia Zanardi, two of the program’s co-founders.
This milestone event provided an opportunity to reflect on the profound impact of Girls Can Too.
Launched in 2015 at TRCA’s Bolton Camp, Girls Can Too began when Scepanovic, Zanardi, and their peer, Dana Pugh, identified a gap: few opportunities existed for young women to gain hands-on experience in technical, construction, and environmental restoration work.
In response, TRCA partnered with Scepanovic, Zanardi, and Pugh to co-develop a pilot program that blended construction and conservation projects with mentorship and career exploration, with the goal of empowering participants with technical skills while inspiring them to pursue careers in fields where women are traditionally underrepresented.
Girls Can Too helps young women and female-identifying youth explore career pathways in skilled trades and environmental restoration.
Since that inaugural pilot program, Girls Can Too has:
- Engaged more than 700 participants in trades, technical, and environmental projects.
- Delivered over 100 construction and environmental restoration projects across the Toronto region.
- Built lasting community assets such as raised gardens, outdoor classrooms, trailhead kiosks, and habitat restoration sites.
From constructing bleachers and gardens at Claireville Outdoor Education Centre to developing trail features at Bolton Camp and building cabins at Albion Hills Conservation Park, participants have made a visible and lasting contribution to local communities while pursuing education and careers in trades, construction, and conservation.
In the last 10 years, Girls Can Too has engaged more than 700 participants in trades, technical, and environmental projects.
With 50 participants benefiting from the program each year, Girls Can Too has become an essential element of the local skill development ecosystem and a significant program of TRCA’s broader education and training strategy.
Participants frequently describe their experiences as transformative, while mentors express pride in supporting young women as they grow and succeed.
Looking ahead, TRCA and its partners plan to expand Girls Can Too into new communities, reaching more young women and female-identifying youth.
This ongoing growth supports local and provincial objectives related to developing a strong, resilient, and well-trained future workforce.
Organizations interested in supporting, sponsoring, or participating in the program can visit Girls Can Too to learn more and get involved.
Quotes:
“At TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, we believe that hands-on stewardship can inspire people to connect to the environment. That’s why we’re proud to continue supporting the Girls Can Too program, which helps participants build practical skills and confidence while exploring pathways in the environmental sector and helping make an impact in their local communities.”
– Hannah Bradshaw, Regional Manager, Metro Ontario Region, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation
“It’s beautiful that girls still have these kinds of places and that it’s expanded to support them in developing skills in the trades, environmental skills, and also just relationship with the land too.”
– Danielle Scepanovic, Girls Can Too Co-Founder
“It’s only been 10 years. This is just the beginning. That is a huge milestone. For a program to be operating for 10 years and impact 700 students, that’s incredible. That was not in our vision. We had no idea. All we were hoping for was that: a) someone would fund the program, and b) that we had kids volunteering next week. There were some weeks where we had to go door-to-door knocking to find students. So to come to this 10-year anniversary of such an incredible program and 700 girls – that’s just the students, that doesn’t include the mentors and the lunch-and-learns which are honestly my favourite part of the program.”
– Nadia Zanardi, Girls Can Too Co-Founder
“Marking ten years of Girls Can Too is a special milestone for Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and all who have contributed to its success. The program has equipped young women and female-identifying youth in the Toronto region with the skills, mentorship, and confidence to pursue careers in fields where they have been historically underrepresented. We are grateful to our partners and funders for their support in preparing the next generation of leaders.”
– Darryl Gray, Director, Education and Training at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
About Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
Since 1957, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), as enabled through the provincial Conservation Authorities Act, has taken action to enhance our region’s natural environment and protect our land, water, and communities from the impacts of flooding and increasingly extreme weather events – Ontario’s leading cause of public emergencies.
As the region’s first line of defence against natural hazards, TRCA maintains vital infrastructure and provides programs and services that promote public health and safety, protecting people and property. TRCA mobilizes a science-based approach to provide sound policy advice, leveraging its position as a not-for-profit operating in the broader public sector to achieve collective impacts within our communities and across all levels of government.
TRCA’s dedication to its employees and sustainability has earned it recognition as both one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers and one of Canada’s Greenest Employers. These distinctions highlight TRCA’s commitment to fostering a supportive, innovative, and environmentally responsible workplace – dedicated to driving meaningful change and create lasting positive impacts in the communities it serves.
TRCA’s jurisdiction includes nine watersheds and their Lake Ontario shorelines, spanning six upper-tier and fifteen lower-tier municipalities and representing almost five million people, approximately 10% of Canada’s population.
To learn more about TRCA, visit trca.ca.
Media Contact
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
Afiya Jilani
Specialist, Communication and Media Relations
Communications, Marketing and Events
afiya.jilani@trca.ca
media@trca.ca