Youth Environmental Awareness Program

The Youth Environmental Awareness (YEA) program is designed to engage high school volunteers in environmental education, empowering them to teach younger students about sustainability. Integrated into our organization’s youth development services, YEA gives high schoolers the knowledge to design fun, educational activities that explain key environmental topics to elementary-aged kids.

Through the program, teens learn about the social and physical impacts of environmental neglect, the City’s waste management system, San Francisco's Zero Waste goals, and practical ways to promote eco-friendly habits. They put their knowledge into practice by developing creative, interactive teaching methods — including  games and quizzes — to make these lessons engaging for the younger children they tutor. By “training the trainers,” YEA fosters a ripple effect: as teens teach sustainable practices, younger students (and their families) are encouraged to adopt environmentally conscious behaviors.

Reaching out specifically to underserved communities, YEA also aims to nurture future, ethnically diverse leaders in sustainability, aligning with the City’s Zero Waste mission.