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Youth for the Environment and People (YEP!)

Creating a space for youth voices, leadership, and advocacy on issues students care about.

Apply to join (también en español)

Calling all high school students interested in collaborating with other youth on a climate action project!

Jump to details on applying for spring 2023 (Whatcom County)

Youth for the Environment and People (YEP!) provides an opportunity for students in Whatcom and Skagit Counties to share ideas and passions, learn about climate change solutions, engage in local stewardship projects, and work together with other youth in choosing, planning and implementing a group action project. And, of course, have fun!

YEP! participants will:

  • Meet and work with other youth in the region to create and implement a student-led action project
  • Discover, empower, and refine individual skills and talents
  • Practice stepping into leadership roles
  • Connect with local organizations working to solve local climate change in our region
  • Learn about local and global climate change solutions
  • Complete two local service projects on a couple of Saturday sessions

YEP! helped me learn about climate change, it helped me learn about people, and it helped me learn about myself.” – Diego, 2021 YEP! Participant

In Spring 2023, we are offering a Whatcom County-only cohort of YEP! Through the topic of fast fashion, students will explore how consumerism contributes to the climate crisis and focus on solutions that help both communities and the planet. The cohort will then choose and complete a project connecting climate solutions and fast fashion to address the issue. Facilitators guide, support, and educate while students lead and work collaboratively on the project.

More details about the program
  • Applicants must attend high school in Whatcom County
  • This program will run for 10 weeks from February 22nd until May 3rd (no meeting April 5th for Spring Break)
  • We provide a $150 stipend upon completion of the group project to compensate students for their time and efforts
Questions? Please contact:

YEP@re-sources.org

Details, how to apply and benefits for 2023

Apply here by February 7th
solicitud en español

Timeline

Application due: 10:00pm Tuesday, February 7th.

When will I know if I’ve been accepted? Sometime between February 8th and 10th. You must confirm you want to accept the offer by February 14th. This correspondence will happen via email. If you haven’t heard from us by February 10th, please reach out to Cambry at CambryB@re-sources.org.

Who can participate? Applicants must attend high school in Whatcom County. There are 15 spots available in the cohort.

When is it? Starting February 22nd, YEP! runs for 10 weeks including two optional Saturday hands-on stewardship days, dates TBD, ending the week of May 3rd (no meeting the week of April 3rd for Spring break).

Where and when are the meetings? Whatcom cohort will meet Wednesdays from 4:00–6:00pm at the RE Sources offices (2309 Meridian St, Bellingham, upstairs from The RE Store)

Who are the facilitators? YEP! is facilitated by Cambry Baker, Education Specialist at RE Sources.

What are the benefits? We provide a $150 stipend upon completion of the group project to compensate students for their time and efforts. Must attend 8 of the 10 sessions and participate in the group project to receive the stipend.

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Past YEP! Projects

Fall 2022 – Food Waste

Whatcom Cohort: Following their passion for food justice, students held an educational event at the Bellingham Farmers Market and hand-painted 36 ceramic bowls that they sold to raise over $900 for the Bellingham Food Bank.

Skagit Cohort: For their action project, the Skagit cohort decided to focus on improving food composting at their local schools, as well as educating the local community about the importance of composting and its effect on reducing climate change.

Learn more about how students tackled food waste on our blog.

Fall 2021 – Carbon Sources and Sinks

Whatcom Cohort: YEP! students partnered with NSEA to co-host a tree planting work party along Squalicum Creek and planted 28 trees just after historic flooding in November with the help of other passionate youth from Ferndale High School.

Skagit Cohort: Through exploration of carbon sinks (a natural system that can limit climate change by storing carbon from the atmosphere) the Skagit students discovered the Kulshan Carbon Trust and decided to create a well-researched brochure for the non-profit that would educate stakeholders on their programs.

Check out their carbon-sequestration projects

Fall 2020 – Environmental Justice

Whatcom Cohort: After deciding to center their project around food inequity, students sewed 20 bags out of old t-shirts and filled them with food, a gift card to a local food establishment, notes of encouragement and a list of helpful resources and donated them to NorthWest Youth Services.

Skagit Cohort: In a two-part project, students donated COVID-19 safety supplies to those in need, and created a website that included helpful COVID resources, highlighting the link between a healthy environment and healthy people, while providing important background information about environmental justice.

Find out more about how these teens worked for environmental justice.

Spring 2019 – Orca Health

Whatcom Cohort: Students channeled their passions with paint to raise awareness about the perils facing the Southern Resident Orcas of the Salish Sea through making an art mural on the side of the RE Store.

See their mural and the work they accomplished.

Spring 2018 – Pilot Program

Whatcom: This cohort marks the launch of YEP!. RE Sources partnered with Sahar Arbab, a WWU grad student, to design, trial, and evaluate the first iteration of Youth for the Environment and People! Students in this cohort explored climate solutions, participated in focus groups, and planned a letter-writing event.