Youth Leaders Program
Guiding the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards
OUR WORLD NEEDS THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS
Elevate Youth’s Leaders Program is designed equip teens with skills and experiences in environmental advocacy, positive peer and adult mentorship, and challenging, recreational experiences in the outdoors. Our Program offers pathways from Odyssey adventures to future college and career possibilities, supporting youth as they impact their communities - and our world.
Highly motivated adolescents from Elevate Youth programs participate in leadership, outdoor recreation and skills, and mentor experiences for at least one year.
Participants are also invited to join our Youth Council, which advises the Board of Directors. Together, they explore how they can apply their leadership skills to make a positive impact through a sustainability service project in the spring.
It takes a village to create sustainable change. Our program responds to teens’ needs through these key components:
Self-regulation and transformation through challenging (but still fun) outdoor experiences
Exploring an environmental issue within their neighborhood, and doing something about it together.
Inviting Board Members and community leaders to network and to create a collaborative approach to problem-solving.
Empowering youth to set SMART goals for their projects
Managing risk through first aid training, trip planning and other tools that apply to outings as well as everyday experiences
A special thanks to the Jack Murphy Foundation
The Foundation honors the late Jack Murphy’s legacy by sharing his passion for the outdoors and wilderness education with others. They strive to support young people in gaining an exposure to the outdoors that ignites their passion to pursue their own adventures, and to provide needed resources to those called to a career in the outdoors but require funding to pursue their passion. Elevate Youth is honored and excited to have Jack’s spirit live on through our Youth Leaders.
