“…the future belongs to our youth, and if we do not involve our youth in conservation management, we will not succeed in our efforts to save nature or humanity. That’s the bottom line.”
—President Nelson Mandela, World Parks Congress, September 2003
Greening Youth Foundation provides interactive, hands-on programs for young people with the intent of having participants develop a deeper relationship with nature, with others and with themselves, resulting in healthier individuals, communities and environments.
Greening Youth Foundation programs are critical because there is a pressing societal need for:
- Environmental awareness among underserved and disconnected youth
- Career-bridging and the promise of rewarding futures
- Skilled and motivated workers in natural resource professions
- More diversity within the environmental movement
- Positive programming for youth that emphasizes stewardship, team-building, personal responsibility and leadership development
Environmentally responsible children are the hope for our planet’s sustainable future. One of the goals of GYF is to change the way we consume by educating people about the environmental impact of our personal, institutional and community choices. GYF is focused on such areas as clean energy, fuel alternatives, transportation recycling, forest certification efforts, water consumption and conservation and groundwater depletion. The foundation’s mandate is to help restore the global ecosystem, foster healthy living, and reduce the public’s impact on local environments.
