Students and staff from The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program traveled to the Frost Valley YMCA in Claryville, NY this spring to educate 60 students from the Catskills and New York City area schools about how to lead on climate change issues during a two-day Youth Climate Leadership Summit.

Four seniors – Elodie Linck, Silas Swanson, Witter Swanson and Everett Stapp –  from Saranac Lake and Beekmantown High Schools worked with Adirondack Youth Climate Program Coordinator, Katie Morgan, to plan and design leadership workshops which they ran for the Summit. Workshops included Communicating About Climate Change at Your School, Where to Focus Your School’s Sustainability Efforts, Working with the Environmental Club at Your School and How to Create a Climate Action Plan. The Summit was organized by the Cornell Cooperative Extension, students from Margaretville High School, teachers throughout the Catskills and The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program.

Since its inception, The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program annually influences over 25,000 students represented by the 150 participants from 30 high schools, colleges and universities across the North Country.  The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program is a year-long initiative involving students, teachers and schools from around the region and is designed to create youth leaders help their schools and communities address local climate risks, adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Photo: Wild Center Youth Climate Program courtesy The Wild Center.