Youth Leadership Development Inside-Out Workshop – Building Meaningful Youth Councils (Recording)

Youth Advisory Councils (YAC) are a youth engagement strategy used by programs and organizations to positively incorporate youth voices and to help build the capacity of youth participants. In this session, we will explore what makes a YAC successful and how to ensure meaningful engagement for youth. Join us February 23, at 1 p.m. CST to hear from Tyler Massias from Earth Guardians, Diane Lill from Conservation Nation, and Kerstin Johansson and Ashleigh Cibelli-Pettus from the City of Austin on their experience with building relevant, authentic and responsive YACs. There will also be space to engage in peer dialogue about YAC development.

Tyler Massias leads the Speakers Bureau within Earth Guardians. He is an academic and a farmer, cultivating a meaningful relationship with the land, while sharing his wisdom with others. He has spoken at conferences, schools, protests and rallies across the country; and is a defender and guardian of our only home. He believes that creativity, empathy, community, and compassion are the values we need to form a holistic perspective in an effort to mitigate some of our world’s most pressing environmental issues.

Ashleigh Cibelli-Pettus is an International Certified Arborist and has worked in urban forestry for the last nine years. She has managed urban forest youth internships, taught pruning courses, and planted and stewarded thousands of trees. Her position in the City of Austin focuses on Urban Forestry Youth Education and creating pathways and opportunities for BIPOC youth into green careers. She strives to be a catalyst for diversity and inclusion in the world of urban forestry. Ashleigh was born and raised in the Bronx, New York and graduated from Lehman College with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Minor in Childhood Education.

Kerstin Johansson loves bringing people together and connecting over solutions to environmental and social justice issues, and nowhere is that more evident than in her work with the City of Austin’s Park Ranger Cadet Program. Kerstin has been overseeing the Cadet Program since 2016. She, with the support of many, has transformed this program into a TEKS-aligned outdoor practicum for young adults at Akins High School, a paid summer internship and apprenticeship. As of January 2022, she is in an acting role to support the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps which is absorbing parts of the Cadet Program. Kerstin loves supporting and learning from the next generation of environmental leaders.

Diane Lill has served as the Director of Education for Conservation Nation since September 2022. She has 25 years of experience in environmental education with expertise in building innovative programs and working with school systems to promote environmental literacy. Prior to joining Conservation Nation, Diane led the development of the award-winning GreenKids program for Audubon Naturalist Society, through which she formed strong partnerships with public school systems in the DC metro area to connect schoolchildren with nature and foster green schools. Diane’s leadership of GreenKids was recognized with a Bethesda Magazine Green Award, a Distinguished Service Award from the Montgomery County Board of Education, and a Chesapeake Bay Trust Award for exemplary grant work.

The Children & Nature Network seeks to support the leadership of youth and young adults ages 16-28 as well as provide resources and spur dialogue to help communities deliver high-quality programming and meaningfully engage youth. When nature connection and youth development are integrated thoughtfully, youth thrive. The Children & Nature Network’s Inside-Out Youth Leadership Workshops create a space for conversation, feature stories from youth and local leaders from the field, and bring research and resources on the topic to light. By participating, you’ll join a diverse and welcoming network of leaders who are eager to help youth reach their full potential as people — and as nature advocates.

Register for the February 23 event today!