A New Year of Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability Kicks Off Around the World
A program to inspire youth, adults, and schools is underway in Vermont, Mississippi, Georgia, and Nepal
It can be daunting to consider tackling huge global challenges like food insecurity or global warming, especially as a kid. Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability offers teams of youth and adults a place to start. Over the course of the next year, groups of middle school students and educators will make local connections to global issues and build their capacity to make positive change in areas of their choosing through a process known as Youth Participatory Action Research.
The program, which is offered in partnership with Shelburne Farms and UP for Learning, kicked off for 2022-23 at Shelburne Farms with a panel of former Cultivating Pathways participants; discussions with community partners like Vermont Energy Education Program and UVM Extension; and an exploration of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Groups wrapped their day brainstorming ways they might want to make change in their school communities, including planting a community garden, starting an LGBTQIA+ club, and building a playground. We look forward to seeing what transformations you spark, teams!
Our changemaking teams for 2022-23 include:
- Burke Town School, Vermont
- Georgia Elementary and Middle School, Vermont
- Harwood Union Middle School, Vermont
- Kopila Valley School, Nepal
- Madison County Charter School, Georgia
- Piney Woods School, Mississippi
- Westford School, Vermont
Special thanks to all of the student panelists featured in this video: Asa Lloyd, Maisie Franke, Olivia Scharnberg, and Jeswin Antony. Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability is offered in partnership with UP for Learning. Read their blog about this kickoff event.
Photos by Holly Brough and Andrea Estey. Video by Andrea Estey.