This month, The Green Mission Inc. was lucky enough to be included in the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce’s Discover Your Future event, which is aimed at educating area middle and high schoolers about career opportunities as they start to develop plans for “what’s next” after graduation. School systems in attendance included Caroline County Public Schools, City of Fredericksburg Public Schools, King George County Public Schools, Spotsylvania County Public Schools, and Stafford County Public Schools - approximately 3,500 curious youth visiting representatives from dozens of incredible businesses to learn exactly what kind of opportunities are out there. In an expo center filled with the likes of local veterinarians, trade schools, and the science and research departments of local higher education schools, we stood out with our mission to inform the masses about the global impact that deconstruction and donation has on the environment.
Our marketing team was out in full force - comprised of both myself and our Creative Director, LeAndre Bennett - and looking forward to some thoughtful dialogue. With incredibly inspiring youth figures like Greta Thunberg (who recently gave a powerful speech U.N.'s Climate Action Summit in New York City) and Emma González (known for surviving Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, famous for her gun control advocacy), we were ready to learn a thing or two ourselves about how Virginia’s youth views climate change and global issues.
What I learned is that we have a lot of work to do to ensure our children are informed about recycling possibilities and sustainability-focused careers. Most of the kids we spoke to were enthusiastic about the idea of contributing more to green industries, but ultimately unsure of how they can play their part.
For example, when we told some of our booth visitors that up to 85 percent of the average house can be recycled or reused (a statistic courtesy of the Building Materials Reuse Association, now known as Build Reuse), they were astounded that any part of a house could be recycled at all. Now, this may not be a traditionally known statistic unless you (or maybe your family) are involved in some capacity with recycling, construction, interior design, or home improvement. However, only about 10% of kids we spoke with knew what Habitat for Humanity was, despite the Fredericksburg branch being located a mere 10 minutes from the expo. When we asked each visitor “what are you interested in?” or “have you ever thought about exploring a career in sustainability or green business?” the general consensus was “I don’t know” and/or “no.” When we questioned their interest in climate change activism or awareness, most responded with general disinterest.
Now, what conclusions can we draw from this experience? It seems that although more and more of our world’s youth are certainly invested in pushing for positive change, we as parents, mentors, and teachers still need to come up with ways in which to inspire action.
Encourage Volunteering
Terrific non-profit organizations like Habitat for Humanity are in constant need of volunteers. This can not only be a great family bonding experience (volunteering together means more volunteers and more time spent together), it’s also a meaningful commitment that positively impacts your local community. Does your child’s school offer extra credit from volunteering? Are there after-school volunteer programs that could replace babysitting time? Explore your options and see if there are ways to cleverly incorporate volunteer time into your family’s schedule.
Attend Community Events
Many nonprofits put together community events to further their mission and fundraise. Search event calendars courtesy of your local visitor center or Chamber of Commerce, who regularly host event schedules filled with opportunities to learn more about local organizations and businesses. This is also a great opportunity to introduce the concept of networking to high school students, as most college programs encourage undergraduates to meet with industry experts to better ascertain how they want to work within their field of study.
Include Your Family in Home Improvement
I know that when I was young, my father (who did most of our smaller home improvement projects) encouraged me to be “out of the way” when replacing our appliances or re-tiling our bathroom floors. Instead, encourage your children (along with your children’s friends - there’s no reason to not make it a social activity) to help. These projects lead to questions about how and why things work and are excellent opportunities to educate children about the importance of hands-on knowledge and vocational trades.
Encourage Sustainability Industry Careers
Many of the students we spoke with had no idea what they wanted to do for their careers, and quite a few of them were upper level high school students. When speaking with your children or students about their future plans, encourage the pursuit of green industry careers. Talk to career fair leaders and school counselors about including more environmentally-focused job pathways in materials presented to rising high school seniors. Encourage students to research how they can take their passion and apply it to the world of sustainability. If we’re to make a better future for our children and children’s children, we need to ensure that those who come after us are better prepared than we were to face the rising climate concerns and detrimental resource mining that we are currently working to change.
The day is quickly coming when our world’s youth will be the ones making the decisions that truly affect the earth we live on, whether it be through their right to vote or the daily decisions they make as adults. At TGMI, our hope is that these students will remember the conversations we had at Discover Your Future and pursue careers in sustainability or educate themselves and their friends on how they can play a part in changing our current climate crisis. It’s never too early or too late to join the mission.
