1. Supporting Tomorrow’s Environmental Leaders

2. Enviro-Leaders Over 100 internships since the program was conceived in 2006 Very diverse group of participants Three-fourths of participants report seeking additional education related to the environment Thirty percent report retaining further employment related to the internship

3. Enviro-Leaders The internship focuses on environmental restoration or sustainable agriculture. The program includes four main components: Workdays Educational Enrichment Workplace Readiness Career Awareness

4. Workdays Youth spend approximately 85 hours per semester Workdays are generally two-three shifts per week, up to 5 ½ hours per shift Supervised by youth coordinator and field staff Occur at Sonoma Garden Park and local creeks

5. Educational Enhancement Designed to complement learning that happens during field days: Participants receive five mini lessons in the field on concepts including biodiversity, watershed, environmental restoration, and the importance of native habitats Participants also take part in field trips to sites including the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the fish hatchery. Pre and post assessments measure knowledge gains related to content

6. Educational Enhancement

7. Career Awareness Interns have several opportunities to learn about environmental careers: Field trips take the interns out of the Valley to other environmental organizations Environmental career binder is updated and shared individually with interns once per semester Interns are assessed on knowledge gains related to environmental careers

8. Workplace Readiness Interns are taught the basics of appropriate workplace behaviors, attitudes, and appearance. They are given instruction on behavior expectations and receive a formal written assessment at the end of the internship Rehires are based on the workplace assessments Sonoma Ecology Center regularly provides workplace references and college recommendations for interns.

9. Program Support North Bay Watershed Association Foundation grants including Community Foundation Sonoma County and the Kimball Foundation Seeking longer term funding for the program including donor support

10. Thank You!