Why a Youth Climate Corps?

A booming Green Industry needs capable, qualified workers.

Climate change is an enormous challenge, but addressing it creates enormous opportunities to fuel economic growth, create jobs, and enhance community prosperity and well-being. Preparing our youth to take advantage of these opportunities as they emerge means more than just boosting their scores in math and science. A youth climate corps in Asheville can combine leadership and life skills, classroom learning, real-world experiences, and one-on-one support to position its graduates to profit from the emerging green economy while meeting the industry’s demand for workers.

Economic gains from a thriving Green Industry need to provide lasting benefits to underserved communities.

If financial gains from the Green Economy are to reach low-income communities, specific training mechanisms must be in place to facilitate access to durable, living wage jobs. For young people without the financial means to achieve a higher education, a youth climate corps can provide an authentic alternative to military service, offering a viable pathway to college and career advancement—as well as comparable opportunities to build character, develop leadership and serve one’s country—without the inherent risks.

The time immediately after high school is a pivotal moment in a young person’s life.

It is during this time, when they transition into adulthood, that young people make critical decisions about what kind of career they want and whether or not to pursue college. It is also during this time when youth are vulnerable to influences that might lead them down a path toward self-destructive behaviors, particularly if they are already at-risk. By supporting young people at this pivotal moment, a youth climate corps can help provide a bridge to higher learning, a promising career, and a brighter future.

Youth need education and inspiration to deal effectively with climate change.

Alarming facts and dire predictions are not enough to prepare today’s youth to respond to the climate crisis. Instead, young people need a sense of hope that solutions to the problem exist, and that they can be a part of those solutions. A youth climate corps in Asheville can inspire, educate and empower young people through service-learning, a proven educational strategy that integrates content knowledge with community service and reflection to provide a powerful and transformative learning experience. With this experience as a foundation, climate corps graduates can go on to help their communities find solutions to global warming challenges.

Possible Climate Corps Activities

§         Team-building and leadership development retreats

§         Team projects that have a direct impact on the causes or consequences of climate change

§         Community education campaigns that catalyze widespread changes in behavior and increase the demand for green products and services

§         “Peer-to-peer” education programs that introduce other youth to the problems, solutions and opportunities associated with climate change

§         Community college courses that provide transferable academic credits

§         One-on-one tutoring and counseling to provide academic support and guidance to individual members throughout their experience

§         Internships with local companies, agencies, or nonprofits to provide hands-on experience in green career pathways