Opening pathways, investing in our future

A willingness to change

Less than five years ago, I regularly said that Environmental Initiative does not do youth programming. Now I am happy to say we have two youth-serving projects that are an important part of what we do and who we are — Roots for the Future and Collaborative Pathways.

I’ve been reflecting on how powerful youth engagement can be for organizations and individuals who are working for systems change. A few weeks ago, a farmer told me that even when presented with concrete evidence challenging conventional wisdom, most adults are not moved. He said, “you have to be open to change.” That’s a harsh reality that makes me reflect on how willing I really am to change my mind when it has otherwise been made up.

In my own work, I am happy to say that I have seen many examples of adults who are open to change. Environmental Initiative attracts that kind of person, but even so, changing our minds is not easy. On the other hand, I have been powerfully impressed with how open youth can be, especially when they choose to explore careers in the environmental sector. I have many stories of youth who changed their career path based on a learning experience in one of our programs. This past summer, a student shifted from an intended focus on nursing to public health based on his six weeks with us. Through the program, he came to see public health as an even bigger opportunity to serve his community.

I hope this blog will spark your interest in these projects. Contact information and details on how you can help can be found below.

Roots for the Future

Roots for the Future grew out of a pilot program called Northside Safety NET and launched this past summer as a six-week green careers exploration program.

• 20 youth participated, primarily Black youth and youth of color.
• Interns earned $20/hour and explored a wide range of environmental careers.
• Partners across the public, private, nonprofit, and community sectors offered hands-on learning experiences in community engagement, climate change, urban tree canopy and agriculture, advocacy, organizing, and more.

All 20 youth delivered powerful final presentations to family, friends, and environmental leaders. Some interns even presented at a meeting of the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, moving board members with their insights.

Collaborative Pathways

Collaborative Pathways brings together several dozen youth-serving organizations working in environmental justice, clean energy, food justice, and more.

Together, these partners:

• Strengthen each other’s capacity to serve youth from impacted communities.
• Share resources to expand internship opportunities.
• Build a more inclusive and interconnected environmental movement.

This past August, the coalition hosted over 100 youth, mostly youth of color, from a dozen programs for a day of learning, fun, networking, and professional development. Collaborative Pathways is how we build the future of the environmental workforce — together.

How you can help

You may not be surprised that these are hard times to fund programs serving Black, Indigenous, and youth of color. Despite political headwinds and scarce resources, we assembled a combination of business, state and local government, and foundation funds in 2025 to grow the impact of this work. That said, there is great financial need in both programs, and there is an opportunity for even small amounts of funding to make a big difference. We need your support for these programs to continue into the coming year!

To learn more about these programs, connect youth or partners to what we are doing, or to lend your support, contact me at 651-208-7090 or [email protected]. If you are interested in a specific program, you can also contact Tonya Draughn, program lead for Roots for the Future, or Rachel Geissinger, who coordinates Collaborative Pathways with Tonya. We’ll be happy to welcome you into the important work we are doing to invest in our collective future by opening career pathways for the talented young leaders needed for a healthy and prosperous future.