Over the past five years, the Young Adults Environmental Leadership Program (YAELP) has acted as a platform for the launch of a corps of young environmental change agents. Over 350 young adults have implemented exciting projects in their schools and communities.
One student team project that had an innovative spin was the Buffalo-Area Home-school team from the 2011 YAELP. Their challenge was to raise awareness for some of Buffalo’s grassroots organizations through the creation of a documentary film. The team found connections and interest for their project from a local community media professional.
Opportunities for the student teams to connect with community partners occur each year during the 8-week Shout-Out presentations staged at public venues in our area. The 2011 Shout-Out occurred at the Green Expo in April of 2011. Teams were awarded “Seed Money” ranging from $200 - $500 for their projects.
Comments from student participants of YAELP include:
- "I found your program very useful. The tools I learned will be placed in my memory bank and I will apply them throughout my life. Thank you for everything." (Sara, Starpoint Central); and
- "I am really impressed with how many people there are here who are very willing to learn. The world needs more people like this and it is great to see a lot all together in one place." (Buffalo-Area Home-school student).
The next YAELP is set for March 2 and 3 at Rich Products. Schools attending include: Charter School for Applied Technology, International Prep at Grover, Pembroke, Niagara University, Nichols, Tonawanda High, and a team from Leadership Buffalo’s Youth Leaders program.
For more information, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to contact Dave Bauer.
dave bauer ¦
Thursday 2 February, 2012