SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION
SFI believes that through environmental education, we can nurture the next generation of young people to make informed decisions and better choices for our planet by equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to address complex environmental issues.
Cultivating a culture of environmental literacy at a young age creates awareness and understanding about environmental issues that leads to responsible individual and group actions to keep our natural world healthy, our economies productive, and our communities prosperous and vibrant.
Project Learning Tree and PLT Canada’s activities not only build awareness and appreciation of trees and forests, but also provide young people with leadership and communication skills, problem solving and critical thinking skills, and an understanding of the importance of teamwork and community.
The pool of young people entering green jobs is not sufficient to meet demand for tomorrow’s workforce. Green careers include foresters, loggers, arborists, wildlife biologists, park rangers, green building designers and builders, energy auditors, farmers and ranchers, solar engineers, and so much more. We are working to leverage the connections to green careers across our environmental education curriculum and developing pathways to green careers by exposing young people to nature and the array of green jobs opportunities.
One of the ways we are doing this is through our Green Mentor program. Our mentorship program connects young people directly to forest, conservation, and parks sector professionals. By helping youth explore the diversity of careers in the forest, conservation, and sustainability sectors, we are helping to build the next generation of future forest leaders across North America. Learn more here.
Project Learning Tree works with schools, career guidance counselors, and community youth programs across diverse geographies to curate a suite of materials aiming to expose young people to the possibilities of green careers.
Exploring Forest Careers program introduces youth to the array of career options in the forest sector. (Canada-specific)
Project Learning Tree’s GreenSchools program introduces young people to green building and natural resources jobs as they work interactively to analyze their school’s energy use, waste and recycling, water consumption, school site, and environmental quality.
