The US Forest Service is committed to diversity and has a goal to create a culture of inclusion that awakens and strengthen all people’s connections to the land. As part of that effort, the Forest Service has partnered with the Greening Youth Foundation to engage the next generation of natural resource managers.
For nearly a decade, GYF and the Forest Service have teamed up to provide challenging, interesting and life changing internship opportunities to talented students and young adults from diverse backgrounds. At Forest Service sites across the country, GYF interns serve in every aspect of resource management. From science research to IT restructuring, GYF interns play an intricate role in the growth and diversity of the US Forest Service.
If you are ready for an incredible learning experience that will help to sustain the nation’s forests and grasslands for future generations, take the first step and apply today.
The Forest Internship Research Student Training Program introduces diverse high school and college youth to careers within the USDA Forest Service through summer and fall internships nationwide! Through the FIRST Program students gain invaluable skills, networks, and mentorship as they transition from academia to the workforce.
The Atlanta Botanical Garden and Greening Youth Foundation have partnered to provide three Spelman College students with ongoing exposure to the USDA Forest Service and ABG through GIS mapping, data collection and management, conservation horticulture, field training, and molecular biology.
Designed to facilitate learning and professional development opportunities, the Resource Assistants Program creates positions for individuals interested in conservation, natural resources, cultural resources, research and development, and career opportunities within land management agencies. Serving as a partner in the pilot program, the Greening Youth Foundation is happy to support its Resource Assistants in their work to develop and manage Forest Service programs, research, and initiatives.
In an effort to bridge the opportunity gap between the need to reduce the risk of destructive wildfires in the Southeast Region and the ongoing mission to provide skilled employment opportunities to diverse youth, the Greening Youth Foundation (GYF) has designed a year-long Fire Management Training Program (FMTP). FMTP is a unique, diverse, youth-targeted prescribed burn and mechanical fuels reduction program. The program brings together young adults in need of employable training, local youth serving organizations, The Nature Conservancy, and the USDA Forest Service (USFS) in a collective effort to mitigate the risk of wildland fires in the Southeast Region.
In 2018,the Southern Region of the USDA Forest Service committed to becoming a Volunteer and Service Center of Excellence by investing in a 3 year capacity-building pilot. The overall goal of the Center of Excellence is to serve as a national model testing innovative ways to increase capacity to safely and effectively manage volunteer and service programs on National Forest lands throughout the Southern Region. In 2019, The Forest Service is launching the Center of Excellence by hiring 6 sub-regional VSP coordinators using a new hybrid model – three of the employees will be Forest Service employees and three will be Greening Youth Foundation employees. The sub-regional coordinators will be tasked with developing and maintaining partnerships that result in on-the-ground management of volunteers and service members. Throughout the 3 year pilot, outcomes will be measured and stories will be shared to help the model spread nationally.
Get paid, learn about environmental careers, and gain valuable experience in all aspects of the Forest Service. Program graduates can apply for Forest Service positions through a two-year hiring eligibility.
GYF employs a professional staff of historians, sociologists, psychologists, educators, marine biologists, environmental scientists, anthropologists and wilderness experts. GYF’s team is highly specialized and focuses on land acquisition, design and development, greenway and green space project management, community mobilization and outreach. We are dedicated to the preservation of nature’s finite and historical resources. Collectively we have more than 400 years of experience facilitating youth programs that emphasize personal growth through hands-on experience and challenges.
