Growing the next Tree Team generation

Friends of Trees and partners are providing job training and leadership skill-building opportunities for youth

Nature deficit disorderĀ is real. It is unhealthy for young people and it is unhealthy for our community and the planet. Educating youth about nature through learning about and planting trees improves the personal health of the students and is creating the next generation of environmental stewards. Top this off with partnerships that include job-training and leadership skill-building and we’re making great strides in growing the next Tree Team generation.
Friends of Treesā€™ educational programming actively and meaningfully connects youth of all ages with nature while providing hands-on experiences with environmental work.Ā Every year we engage more than 2,500 young people, from elementary school through high school.
Much of our work with youth involves project-based environmental education with at-risk high school students, providing minority, low-income and other under-served young people with hands on job-training and leadership skill-building activities.Ā Students serve in leadership roles through planning, participating in, and leading planting and tree care eventsĀ with community members throughout the Portland Metro and Salem Metro regions.
“The program creates a sense of belonging to something larger than themselves,”Ā says Leigh Rappaport, Program Manager with project partner Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center.Ā “The students feel that they’re doing something important by helping volunteers learn how to plant treesā€“and they’re also learning a lot about trees.”
Partners in this work include:
  • POIC/Rosemary Anderson High School: At-risk youth participate in aĀ POICĀ job training program through training and serving as Crew Leaders (a key Friends of Trees volunteer role) and helping to plan and implement tree planting events throughout the season.
  • Cascade Education Corps: Washington County high school students inĀ CECĀ train as Crew Leaders, and are also trained to work with elementary and middle school students. The older students work with the younger ones on planting teams, serving as their Crew Leaders for tree planting and tree care events.
  • Chemawa Indian School: Students undergo Crew Leader training and serve as Crew Leaders at Salem-area tree-planting events. The students train and lead community volunteers, as well as theirĀ fellow Chemawa students (read more about this partnership below).

Whatā€™s particularly encouraging about this program is the overwhelming interest from the students. Friends of Trees Deputy Director Whitney Dorer shares, ā€œYoung people really want this, there is a growing, huge demand. For instance, this year 45 students applied for the 15 available POIC spots.ā€ Whitney concludes,Ā ā€œOur vision is to be able to make this available for all young people who are interested, so we are especially grateful to the variety of funders and partners who are investing in todayā€™s youth.ā€

Pictured above: POIC Program Manager Leigh Rappaport (center) with POIC student Crew Leaders.