Campus, Community, State

To create a network of young people who are educated about the environment.

Community Building, Communications/Marketing, Education

Yes. We have both empowered youth (high school and college) leaders by giving them leadership and teaching skills, and we have taught elementary-school students of diverse backgrounds at numerous schools throughout the state of Virginia.

Other

Youth trained/ kids educated. The ESLI organization has two main goals —empower youth leaders, and educate elementary-aged students so they too can become leaders. With six ESLI chapters, there are an estimated 50 college and high school age youth who have developed public speaking and leadership skills as ESLI educators and over 160 elementary-aged students who have been taught.

I began my project as a senior in High School in 2013, and I continue it today.

The most challenging obstacle has always been getting busy high school students to start ESLI at their schools. One strategy is to expand our volunteer base to include college students who have a bit more flexibility in their schedules. The college students act as role-models for the high school students, showing them that they can continue the program after high school graduation. Next, the trick is to have meetings and gatherings where both existing high school and college teams are in attendance along with students who want to start programs. The current ESLI volunteers show photos and recount stories of experiences they had while leading ESLI meetings. After that, there needs to be consistent communication via conference calls and school break gatherings, so that students really start to make connections with one another, share ideas and see ESLI as a family. Only when students are enthusiastic and want to start a program, will their ESLI chapter be successful.

Students in college and high school, community groups like the SACC and RecConnect after-school programs, Get2Green community program, the director of sustainability at the college

We have received funding through the pollination project.

Eco-School Leadership Initiative (ESLI) is active on ten different high school and college campuses. The William & Mary chapter formed an ESLI committee within our college’s environmental club. We work with an existing after-school program called RecConnect at a nearby elementary school, and hold meetings every Tuesday. We alternate our meetings between educating K-6 students at the RecConnect program and planning our next lesson plan. We have been featured in school and community newspaper articles and we work with groups like the Williamsburg recycling director to create good lessons and get the word out about our work. In addition, we work with NWF and Fairfax County Public Schools to hold a conference in the summer to train students on how to be environmental educators.

Group reflection

Communicated your project results through a blog or other media, Presented your project results at a conference or meeting, Added new team members with different expertise, Applied for funding, Applied for awards

In order to have a sustainable program, the leader must empower other people in the organization to feel like leaders. At William & Mary this has been achieved by rotating the principle educators for each lesson. When members feel the responsibility to plan and teach a lesson, they feel more connected to the cause and well-being of the organization. Therefore, it is essential for the main leader of any project to share power if they want the program to survive beyond themselves.

An important piece of advice is to find organizations and programs that already exist and that you can collaborate with. Because ESLI found existing after-school programs like the SACC program and RecConnect, we can come in as weekly speakers instead of having to coordinate additional logistics. We have been able to fill in the needs of the existing after-school programs by providing fun, free and engaging lessons for the kids. Additionally, many of our ESLI clubs are a subcommittee of an existing environmental club. Again, this is a a good way to find interested members, cut down the work of setting up a new club and allow for a more sustainable program. So, by utilizing existing resources, students can save time, energy and create a more sustainable program.

Eco-Schools Leadership Initiative (ESLI) is looking to expand to different chapters throughout interested high schools and college in Virginia and beyond. We are always willing to help a new chapter start. At the same time, we are looking to improve the chapters that already exist. William & Mary is constantly coming up and writing new lesson plans. New William & Mary students are having the opportunity to lead lessons and gain teaching skills. In Fairfax County, there are 10 high schools who have either started a chapter or are trying to get their chapters running. The ESLI leaders, Talia and Mashaba, set up weekly phone calls and send out emails to provide assistance and answer any questions these chapters may have. In addition, we hold get-together meetings when we come home from breaks so that the high school students can collaborate and compare experiences.