When we left the U.N. climate negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009 without a legally binding agreement that cuts global greenhouse gas emissions, we knew that the road ahead would be just as difficult for each subsequent negotiation.

The  Will Steger Foundation is currently looking for someone excited to work with our amazing youth network of student leaders from high school environmental clubs in the Metro Are, YEA! MN.  Read on...

JOB DESCRIPTION:  Youth Environmental Activists Minnesota (YEA! MN) Coordinator,
CONTRACT DATES: Oct 2011 – June 2012
TIME COMMITMENT: 10-15 hours/week
LOCATION: Mobile/Will Steger Foundation office, Minneapolis

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Overview
Youth Environmental Activists Minnesota (YEA! MN), a joint program of the Will Steger Foundation and Alliance for Sustainability, is a network of student leaders from high school environmental clubs working together across the Twin Cities Metro to support campus sustainability/energy efficiency projects and to work collaboratively to increase peer awareness and activism on climate change solutions.

Structure
YEA! MN organizational structure includes a youth steering committee with representatives from different high schools, including 2 student chairs, who meet on a monthly basis. The youth steering committee also plans and facilitates 4 large meetings/school year, open to students across the metro area, providing climate change education, organizing skills, and other valuable tools and resources for action to support student leadership teams at participating high schools.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
•    Support student leaders from 10-15 metro area high school environmental clubs in expanding and sustaining their leadership teams, and planning hands-on energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and/or other related on-campus projects.
•    Provide direct mentorship for the YEA! MN student chairs, youth steering committee, including leadership development and resource access.
•    Maintain the YEA! MN member database and tracking system as well as the YEA! MN Facebook site and monthly e-newsletter.
•    Work collaboratively with other adult mentors at specific schools and in specific metro areas as needed.
•    Work with Will Steger Foundation and Alliance for Sustainability to directly manage and grow the YEA! MN program.

QUALIFICATIONS:
•    Previous experience working with junior high/high school youth
•    Strong interpersonal and communication skills
•    Experience with group facilitation
•    Strong organizational skills and ability to manage complex logistics
•    Experience in youth leadership and environmental activism
•    Strong computer skills and comfort with social networking tools (Facebook, google groups/docs, etc)
•    Ability to manage cross-organizational collaboration
•    Highly self-motivated and able to work independently
•    Reliable means of transportation throughout Twin Cities metro area
•    Availability for youth meetings and events in the afternoons, evenings, and occasional weekends.
COMPENSATION:
Stipend: $3000

APPLICATION PROCESS
Please email, fax, or mail in a one-page letter of interest and resume by Sept 26:
Abby Fenton, Youth Programs Director
Will Steger Foundation, 2801 21st Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Fax: 612 278-7101 * Phone: (612) 278-7147 * This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Will Steger Foundation is proud to announce the winners of our Climate Generation Award. Launched in partnership with the British Council and California Air Resources Board, the Climate Generation Program is a school-based competition connecting youth leadership and environmental curriculum with climate action projects. High Schools in Minnesota were eligible to participate at no cost, and encouraged to submit action projects in the following focus areas: energy conservation, renewable energy, water conservation, transportation, purchasing, facilities, awareness/communication.

Our three winners were chosen through a competitive process with final judging provided by the Will Steger Foundation Climate Champions, 10 dynamic youth leaders between the ages of 16 and 26 located across the Midwest. Winning projects were chosen for their authentic youth engagement, their environmental impact, and their integration of curriculum and other formal/informal learning opportunities.

First place went to Mahtomedi High School for their Zephyr Wind Turbine Project. Students, faculty, administrators, and community members worked together to generate public support and funding for the project which has already broken ground on school property. The project also includes curriculum developed in partnership with the University of Minnesota. Mahtomedi High School will receive a $1500 award to honor their work and support next steps

Two schools were tied for second place. Edina High School was chosen for it's Water Bottle Filling Station Project, aimed at reducing plastic bottle waste and encouraging the use of reusable water bottles. The Project Earth group worked closely with their faculty advisor to create peer buy-in for the project, generate public awareness and build financial support through a series of creative fundraising efforts. Edina High School will receive a $500 award to honor their project and support further implementation.

Pine Island High School was also chosen for second place. The high school Environmental Club conducted an extensive survey of paper use and waste through out the school and was able to significantly expand it's recycling program by securing new bins for each classroom and large plastic collectors in the hallways. The club also presented to the school board in support of hand-dryers in school bathrooms as means to reducing paper consumption and waste. They are currently in the process of securing support for this installation. Pine Island also received the $500 award in honor and support of their efforts.

Not only is it exciting to see concrete examples of school-based solutions addressing the climate crisis, it is even more significant to see students taking an active role in selecting and launching these projects in their communities. With active peer engagement, project visibility grows. It is our hope that these projects will inspire continued youth initiative on solutions and create a culture-shift from consumption to conservation on these campuses, and in schools across the state.

What if every young person in America believed that they were capable of changing the course of history? What if every high school student arrived at graduation day with an awareness of their own passion and a keen sense of their own potential to make the world a healthier and more just place? What if an entire generation of young adults reaching voting age, entering the work force, and starting families said 'Enough!' and, refusing to contribute to the demise of environmental and public health, invested in viable climate change solutions?

Youth Environmental Activists Minnesota (YEA! MN) is a joint program of the Will Steger Foundation and Alliance for Sustainability. Every year we engage a new group of bright young leaders from high schools across the Twin Cities Metro area in our growing network of youth champions on the issue of climate change and sustainability. YEA! MN supports student leadership on climate change solutions at home, at school, and in the wider community through mentorship, leadership training, action resources, and access.

Every year YEA! MN focuses on climate policy and youth impact, as one of four themes framing student-facilitated meetings open to Twin Cities' youth and the general public. This year we were pleased to feature keynote speaker MN State Representative Kate Knuth and a fantastic presentation by Patience Caso, Campaign Director for Minnesota Environmental Partnership, for our Winter Gathering held at Avalon High School in St Paul. The meeting was followed by a lobby day several days later at the MN State Capitol (another YEA! MN annual tradition), hosted by the Bike Alliance of Minnesota.

Representative Knuth (DFL, District 50B) is a particularly inspiring state legislator for our youth leaders. Her leadership on Minnesota climate legislation over the past several years is commendable, especially as she continues her commitment in the face of a changing political landscape with considerably less-to-no support from the Republican majority. Rep. Knuth sits on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Policy and Finance committee, and has led on major environmental initiatives to protect the health of Minnesota's environment and spur innovation in Minnesota's economy. She has authored legislation to address climate change in MN and authored the "Toxic Free Kids Act" in 2009, which was an important step to protecting Minnesotans, especially children, from chemicals in common consumer products. She is an ardent defender of the Next Generation Energy Act passed in 2007 that limited new electricity from coal until the state adopts a comprehensive plan to offset emissions that contribute to climate change.

But beyond this impressive commitment to climate leadership is Rep. Knuth's commitment to youth. A graduate of Irondale High School (a YEA! MN member school), and elected to office at age 25, Rep. Knuth is a vibrant example of a person who believed she could affect the course of history, has stayed true to her passion and ideals, and at a young age was aware of her own potential. Watching her present to a room full of teenagers, I could see this reflected in their eyes and on their faces. 'Legislators are regular people', she told the crowd, 'Any of you can do this work if you really want to.'

It is this kind of access and exposure, opening doors for young people onto new horizons of possibility, that we strive to provide for our youth through YEA! MN and the Will Steger Foundation's Emerging Leaders Program. Talking with young leaders who are clearly and effectively changing the course of history as we know it, right under our feet, is engaging and inspiring to any person of any age.

Of course action is the real proof in the pudding! The following Monday, eight students attended the lobby day at the MN State Capitol with the Bike Alliance of Minnesota and, after a surprise recognition from Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak, went to lobby their legislators. Asking for support for bike-safe routes to school, the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) State Bikeway, and reauthorization of Minnesota's Statewide Health Improvement Program which includes funding for community biking and walking audits and promotion, YEA! MN youth were standing up for their values and realizing their potential as agents of change for a clean and just future for all.