About 33 percent of workers are exposed to the outdoors as a regular part of the job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet, many young people are unaware of the vast outdoor career opportunities. The Garden’s Outdoor Youth Corps aims to bridge that gap.
What is outdoor youth corps?
Outdoor Youth Corps, or OYC, is an education and workforce development program that exposes youth to outdoor career paths in areas like conservation, horticulture, sustainability, and community engagement.
Who can participate in outdoor youth corps?
Youth ages 16-20.
What do participants do?
Youth are introduced to a variety of environmental stewardship projects throughout the city including: invasive species removal, urban farming, general garden maintenance, and more.
Stewardship projects are paired with professional development learning to help develop skills in teamwork, problem-solving, and communication.
Participants are able to meet industry professionals at the Garden and across the community to learn more about future career opportunities.
What skills do participants gain?
Participating youth learn hands-on skills and gain knowledge related to working in the environmental, horticultural, and conservation related fields. The program also teaches career skills like interview etiquette and resume building.
What are the benefits for participating youth?
Participants are all paid, receive bus passes provided to and from the Garden, transportation to and from project locations, lunch and snacks, and annual events with the St. Louis Green Teen Alliance
Where to projects take place?
The program engages dozens of unique partners across the St. Louis area. A few examples are Greenwood Cemetery, Heru Urban Farms, Shaw Nature Reserve, Forest ReLeaf, and Great Rivers Greenway trails.
When is the program?
OYC has four seasonal programs:
- Summer Crew (June–July)
- Spring Weekend Work Series (February–April)
- Fall Weekend Work Series (September–November)
- Alternative Spring Break program (March)
What do alumni say about the program
Here are a few quotes past OYC participants shared:
“I loved the organization, the variety of tasks, meeting professionals and learning how they got to where they are!”
“Participating in OYC has opened me up to a direction I could take for my career.”
“This program was a fun way to learn and spend my summer.”
What’s after Outdoor Youth corps?
The Garden has built a Green Jobs Career Pathway as part of our programming because we feel it’s essential to give these young people opportunities to advance in their learning and skill development and in pursuing additional work and eventually full-time employment in green careers in the St. Louis region.
The Garden is doing this through an advanced program, Outdoor Leadership Corps, in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway, which provides, which provides further skill development and higher salaries.
have alumni gone on to green jobs?
Program participants in Outdoor Youth Corps and Outdoor Leader Corps have gone on to work for Audubon Center at Riverlands; Forest Park Forever; Great Rivers Greenway; professional landscape companies; Missouri Dept of Conservation; municipal parks; and right here at the Garden.
Want to sign up?
Or know someone who might be interested? Click here to apply.
Outdoor Youth Corps would like to thank all of our community partners, an anonymous donor, and the Missouri Botanical Garden’s generous support of the program.
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