Each June, over 300 students from across the country and around the world convene in Fairfax, VA, for George Mason University’s Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (WYSE). WYSE is an interactive program that provides high-achieving high school students with an interest in the environment, conservation, sustainability, and related fields with a unique experience exploring careers in these areas. With complementary goals of exposing young people to conservation careers and empowering youth leadership, Conservation Nation is a proud WYSE partner.
Each year Elise Bernardoni, our Education Director, presents to the WYSE delegates on building a diverse and inclusive conservation movement. This year’s presentation was special; Elise was joined by Aaron, Emma, and Lauren – three Conservation Nation Youth Advisors who are also WYSE 2021 alumni. Together they crafted a rousing presentation that captivated the audience and inspired a thoughtful question and answers session. Our poised and confident Youth Advisors provided advice on subjects including youth volunteerism, building conservation clubs in rural areas with few local environmental organizations, speaking to peers about controversial topics, and registering to vote. It was an inspiring evening that made us proud to work with the next generation of conservation leaders.
At Conservation Nation, we already see the strong foundations of a cycle we envisioned just one year ago. Young people are joining our movement, becoming empowered to act through leadership opportunities, learning from working conservationists, building their networks, and mentoring other people their age. Earlier this year, our three WYSE alumni presented the program to their fellow Youth Advisors, resulting in two Advisors participating in the program this year. Despite living outside of the DC metro area, Aaron, Emma, and Lauren could present with Elise because Aaron and Lauren returned to WYSE as interns, and Emma was touring colleges. All three of these remarkable young people plan to pursue degrees in environmental-related fields.
We are thrilled that thanks to partnerships like the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment, we can identify and support students who are passionate about conservation and the environment. As with last year, we ended our presentation with a call to join the Conservation Nation Youth Advisory Council. We can’t wait to meet our future Youth Advisory leaders and WYSE alumni!
The Youth Advisory Council represents the youth voice in Conservation Nation’s decision-making processes for education, outreach, and communications. The Youth Council also acts as student ambassadors for Conservation Nation, helping to inspire diverse current and future conservationists to join our movement to save wildlife and the planet.
