First-ever Fair & Festival for Youth Ages 14-20
(Portland,OR) –
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is a lead partner for the first-ever Youth Environmental Job Fair & Teen Night, coming up on Tuesday, December 30, at Montavilla Community Center (8219 NE Glisan St). The event is designed to help Portland-area teens understand the various environmental careers available to them, to encourage them to pursue the field, and to match emerging environmental leaders with organizations and programs that can prepare them for careers.
WHAT: Portland Parks & Recreation’s first-ever Youth Environmental Job Fair & Teen Night – environmental career information and networking opportunities, plus archery, games, music, basketball, pizza and more!
WHEN: Tuesday, December 30, 5pm-8pm
WHERE: PP&R’s Montavilla Community Center (8219 NE Glisan St).
WHO: This first-ever, FREE event is for youth ages 14-20. Partners include The Audubon Society of Portland, Multnomah ESD Outdoor School, the Oregon Zoo, Saturday Academy, Portland Trackers Earth and Portland Parks & Recreation Environmental Education.
The Youth Environmental Job Fair & Teen Night will give teens the resources, information and networking that will help them pursue environmental careers. All of the partner organizations involved in the event are now actively hiring and recruiting staff.
“All organizations involved with this exciting event share a common purpose: to train emerging environmental leaders and prepare them for careers,” says Kelly Rosteck, Portland Parks & Recreation Environmental Education coordinator. “By pooling our resources, PP&R and our partners can all get to know more young people, and more quickly. On December 30, teens can enjoy food and fun, and meet dozens of program graduates who can talk about their jobs and organizations. We feel a first-person account of satisfying work will make an environmental career seem realistic to young folks.”
Portland Parks & Recreation believes in the importance of connecting youth with nature to foster a lifelong relationship. PP&R’s role consists of a pipeline of environmental education, employment, job skills training and outdoor adventure programs for young adults ages 13–24. These programs include the Greenspaces Restoration and Urban Naturalist Team (GRUNT), Jr. GRUNT, internships, and the Youth Conservation Crew (YCC). Environmental Education classes, guided walks, camps, volunteer opportunities, and special events focus on the forest, grassland, and water ecosystems available in neighborhoods throughout the city. From young children to older adults, people of all ages can find active involvement with nature close to home.
Portland Parks & Recreation Environmental Education experiences for youth are geared towards training emerging environmental leaders and preparing them for careers. Fewer than 13% of government environmental agencies employees are people with color (~37% of the population of the US are people of color).
343: the number of graduates from PP&R’s environmental education programs.
85: percentage of those graduates who are eligible for the free & reduced lunch program at schools.
53: percentage of graduates who speak English as a second language.