Training the Next Generation of Conservationists
Carter Remy (center) spent the year teaching Rochester City teens about the environment and how they can take care of it. The Teens for the Earth helped at many Genesee Land Trust events, including the opening of Salmon Creek Nature Preserve (where this photo was taken by staff).
Genesee Land Trust started our first youth program – the Landscape Apprentices - in 2012 to work at Conkey Corner Park and along the newly created El Camino trail. Then it became the Environmental Ambassadors, and now the current youth involved in our workforce and leadership development program have renamed it Teens for the Earth and designed a new logo.
After a hiatus during Covid, Carter Remy, Genesee Land Trust’s new youth educator, redesigned Teens for the Earth. It now includes more hands-on training about land conservation, climate change, and natural ecosystems, as well as leadership growth and community engagement.
Thanks to the generous and growing support of Genesee Land Trust members, the 2022 cohort has been gaining employment experience, learning about environmental issues and career opportunities, working with the land, and exploring the outdoors.
More Than Just a First Job
“The very top goal of the program is to create future stewards of the environment,” Carter says. “We also hope to equip students with leadership and work skills that are transferable to any and all careers.”
Yamina Sharif joined the program in March 2022 and says Teens for the Earth has taught her responsibility and how to make the right decisions as a young professional.
“Before I got this job, I didn’t really know what it was like to get up every morning for work. I didn’t know what it was like to receive a paycheck every two weeks,” she says. “This is a development job, and you don’t have to come and be perfect.”
A Year of Growth
The 2022 cohort of youth started in February 2022 with a year-long commitment. During school they spent about 10 hours per week meeting after classes and on Saturdays, often exploring and working on Genesee Land Trust preserves, meeting with leaders in conservation, and volunteering in the community.
Then, for 10 weeks this summer, the Teens for the Earth worked Monday – Friday for about 30 hours per week. The youth led a Flower City Feeling Good walk along the Thomas R. Frey Trail at El Camino, tended different sections of the 2.2-mile trail and Conkey Corner Park, and trained in CPR and first aid. They also assisted with the landscaping of a new park project with 540 West Main, worked in community gardens around the city, and helped at many Genesee Land Trust events. The end of the summer culminated in an overnight camping trip to Stony Brook Park, a first for many of the youth. In December the teens will complete end-of-year projects for a symposium.
The second year of Teens for the Earth will begin in January with a 2023 cohort of approximately half new and half returning youth. Teens are encouraged to participate throughout high school, becoming leaders within the program as well as in the community.
To learn more about Teens for the Earth, or invite a RCSD student to apply, visit www.geneseelandtrust.org/teensfortheearth.
Investing in the Future
This year the teens selected the name for their program and created this logo.
The Teens for the Earth program grows every year, and the challenge to raise its funding also grows. To encourage a deep appreciation of the earth, and to give youth the skills needed to be stewards of the planet, Genesee Land Trust is committed to a personal and years-long investment in the teens. And we provide the youth fair compensation.
Identifying additional and consistent year-to-year support is critical to ensure employment for the teens, maintain the full-time leadership needed to invest in the youth development, and each year grow the program size to include first-year teens and develop the returning youth in significant leadership roles.
Please reach out to Executive Director Gay Mills – gmills@geneseelandtrust.org or 585.256.2130 - to discuss your interest in supporting the Teens for the Earth program on an annual basis or as a planned gift.
Erica Dukes, 15, Edison Tech
Erica joined just looking for something to do in her first job, but Teens for the Earth turned into a source of new opportunities and learning experiences. “We did some fun stuff like horseback riding and kayaking that got me hooked. I’m here for life now,” she says. The program also taught Erica about teamwork, responsibility, and professionalism, she says, as well as environmental issues. “It’s fun to learn about new stuff, like invasive species. I didn’t even know what that word meant before this. They don’t belong here and you’ve gotta get them out.”
Erica, the youngest of 8, used her earnings to save up for a phone and back to school clothes.
Jhy’Asia Jadeson, 15, Edison Tech
Jhy’Asia has always wanted to learn to garden but couldn’t until she joined Teens for the Earth. “The environment I live in you can’t really plant stuff,” she says. “I like getting my hands dirty and handy work. Being able to plant stuff is real fun.”
Camping and hiking have been some of Jhy’Asia’s favorite experiences, and she went fishing for the first time. The program, which she says has taken her to many new places around the city, has been eye opening. “It makes me look at the world different now. I feel like the environment is getting worse by the day and we need to do more.”
Syd Ferree, 17, School Without Walls Commencement Academy
Teens for the Earth has set a new standard for jobs Syd will do. “If I have to work at an Office Max after this, I don’t think I could make it.” They say the steady work routine and weekend activities have “done wonders for my mental health. I really love going out and exploring.”
“One thing that I really enjoy about this program is getting to engage with the community and impact the environments that people live in in a positive way,” Syd says. “A lot of times when people think about conservation of the earth they tend to think about national parks or places way far away from cities and urban areas. But there’s actually a lot of good you can do for your environment right in your neighborhood.”
Yamina Sharif, 15, Northeast College Preparatory High School
Yamina has always enjoyed playing outside but didn’t know all the ways she could experience nature. She joined Teens for the Earth because the activities caught her eye and she could earn money while being outdoors. She says the program takes commitment, and teens that are afraid of bugs and getting dirty are going to have a problem.
“It was my first time camping, and we had to set up the tents in the rain. But it wasn’t even annoying – it was actually fun. We told stories before we went to bed. We made breakfast outside. We showered with the spiders. We got to know each other for who we really are, and we really bonded as if we were family.”