Youth for the Environment and People!

North Cascades Institute partners with RE Sources, an environmental organization in Bellingham, to run a cohort of the Youth for the Environment and People! (YEP!) program every Fall.

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YEP! provides an opportunity for students to share ideas and passions, learn about climate change solutions, engage in local stewardship projects, and work together with other youth in choosing, planning, and implementing a group action project. Example actions could be engaging in a public education project, identifying a sustainable practice to be implemented in their community, finding ways to scale up efforts for emission reductions, or volunteering with a local ecosystem restoration project.

The cohort model allows teens to meet teens from other schools who are also committed to environmental action, empowering and amplifying their voices.

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Institute staff meet with a cohort of teens from Skagit County once a week for 12 weeks from October until December, mentoring them in taking environmental action in their home community. Institute staff also facilitate two service days that bring together both the Skagit and Whatcom County cohorts. For some of the participants who are YLA alumni, YEP! is a natural next-step opportunity to take action on what they learned about climate change during their Youth Leadership Adventures trips.

This innovative partnership serves as an example of collective action between environmental organizations, leveraging the strengths and resources of both organizations to achieve more impact in broadening services and providing knowledge to the surrounding area.

Learn more about Fall 2023 YEP! on ReSources webpage.

Apply before Sept 18

solicitud en español

Read the 2022 Youth for the Environment and People (YEP!) cohorts' essay "Composting as a climate solution" in Salish Currents!