The Center for the Environment at Catawba College is accepting applications for participation in a National Youth Environmental Summit that promises to bring 200 high school students from across the nation to the Catawba campus.
Sustainability designers, scientists and engineers from the prestigious Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) of Colorado will collaborate with the Center and Catawba professors on the summit.
The event, "Redesigning Our Future," is an intensive experience for rising high school juniors and seniors who want to be environmental leaders.
Scheduled for July 20-24, 2011, with follow-up activities through May 2012, the summit will emphasize whole systems thinking, helping students become collaborative leaders and effective communicators. Summit leaders will provide knowledge and analytical skills that will help the participants return to their schools and communities empowered to have a tangible impact.
One of the distinctive elements of the summit is that it will involve multiple disciplines. Students will explore the concept of environmental leadership through the perspective of their own skills and interest in the arts, humanities, education, history, business, science and technology. They will learn how essential elements of these varied disciplines — creativity, expression, innovation, observation, experimentation and teamwork — are critical to their effectiveness as environmental leaders.
"This summit has an ambitious goal, but it is one that is within our reach," says Center Executive Director John Wear. "We want these young leaders to develop their considerable talents so they can make the world a better place. And that will involve nothing less than redesigning our future."
| ; Do you know a young person who would benefit from the National Youth Environmental Summit? The Center for the Environment is accepting applications for the "National Youth Environmental Summit: Redesigning Our Future." The five-day experience for rising high school juniors and seniors, scheduled for July 20-24, 2011, is a rare opportunity for students from a variety of disciplines who are interested in becoming tomorrow's environmental leaders. If you know a young person who might be interested in this opportunity, please direct him or her to the Center for the Environment website. |
The problem in the past has often been "a failure in our ability to look at the whole picture and bring all the people together that need to be involved in the decision-making process," Wear says. "We will focus on collaborative leadership skills and effective communication because those are the fundamental tools for successful leaders."
The cost for the National Environmental Summit for High School Students is $150 (a $50 deposit, which is refundable if the participant attends the summit, and $100 for the program, room and board). Limited scholarship assistance is available so participants should apply early.
