Programs:Youth Environmental Stewardship

What It is

The Youth Environmental Stewardship or “YES” Program was launched to develop a cadre of youth stewards and community based workforce to steward nature in resource challenged communities.

The YES program is a cornerstone of the North East Trees Mission. North East Trees believes that the Youth Environmental Stewards of today are the Community Stewards of tomorrow.

What it does

Implemented as a two track education and training program, YES targets high school aged at-risk-youth (ARY) as well as post high school at-risk young adults in communities in Northeast Los Angeles. This program

• Trains at-risk youth and young adults in environmental disciplines that lead to permanent employment in the green industry
• Provides education in the areas of landscape design, arboriculture, horticulture, restoration ecology, hydrology and urban forestry
• Helps build individual character while developing a community-based work force
• Encourages participants to pursue higher education in an environmental discipline
• Provides job search training and assistance for graduates to find employment in the green industry

The YES Program is a full time program – the students are expected to put in an eight (8) hour day, five (5) days per week over an 8 to 10 week period. The number of recruits per module varies and depends on the number of landscape construction and maintenance projects underway at the time.

The youth stewards who matriculate through the demanding program are awarded a Certificate of Completion. Recent graduates have signed up for employment with several local, state and federal agencies.