Youth Environmental Leadership Initiative Inspires Youth to Take Action for Their Community
The United People Project (UPP) is an organization dedicated to building robust pathways for community resilience by actively addressing the social challenges deeply rooted in environmental justice. They have a diverse range of initiatives from youth leadership programs to comprehensive heritage education. These programs are designed to foster meaningful and sustainable growth and promote equity for all community members.
Earth Rising has helped support UPP’s Youth Environment Leadership Initiative(YELI). YELI is a program designed to equip youth with the skills, knowledge and passion to address local environmental justice issues. Youth engaged in YELI gain practical experience in advocacy, change making and environmental stewardship through hands-on projects, mentorship and leadership trainings.
Over the course of the past year, seven students moved through the YELI program. Students participated in hands-on learning experiences that connected environmental conditions to mental health, racism, and economic inequity. And importantly, UPP does not treat youth just as participants or students but as people capable of contributing to projects, bringing new ideas to the work.
For example, one project the youth worked on was an environmental study of Catfish Creek. Students conducted water quality testing, physical observations and utilized drone technology to understand the impacts of flooding and environmental degradation in their own community. This research will inform a proposal to the City of Marion, advocating for green infrastructure investment to improve flooding and contribute to ecosystem restoration.
This example is representative of the work YELI guiding students through, where each activity and event is a part of something larger. YELI is training youths how to translate their experience, expertise and on the ground research into recommendations for local government. Recently, this has resulted in the youths getting involved in discussions around a proposed data center in Marion.
In addition to all this, staff organized field trips that included fishing, museum visits and other nature-based learning. YELI wants students not only to learn about environmental justice and the effects of climate change in their community, but also to form a healthy, personal relationship with nature in their community. This requires a diverse range of ways of interacting with the environment, from water studies to simply having fun outside.
Finally, YELI also supported the launch of the Umoja Library initiative, a little free library. The first location was placed at Grice’s Recreation Center. The program is rooted in values of collective care while also promoting literacy and supporting a back to school supply drive because environmental justice is multifaceted and includes all aspects of well being in a community.
Together, these different components of YELI creates a well rounded, powerful youth education and empowerment program. To learn more about the United People Project and YELI visit their website here.