Environment

The New Haven Urban Resources Initiative (URI) is a nonprofit Yale School of the Environment partnership that empowers and supports communities in the restoration, stewardship and enjoyment of the urban forest and nature in New Haven. URI hires community forestry interns for its Community Greenspace program each summer.  Through this program, URI community foresters work with about forty community groups in middle- and low-income neighborhoods to reclaim, restore, and replant parks, vacant lots, and streetscapes while revitalizing New Haven communities. URI community foresters receive training in urban forestry, project planning, site assessment, social forestry, and research techniques, and gain experience working with community groups, city officials, and nonprofit agencies. 

The Community Greenspace program’s goals are to conduct resident-led environmental restoration, to build community, and to foster stewardship and civic empowerment. Each community forestry intern provides technical and material support to six or seven community groups engaged in environmental rehabilitation projects, such as tree planting, vacant lot restoration, or invasive species removal.

Please note that this placement begins on May 13, 2025.

Read the organization’s placement proposal

Solar Youth empowers Black and Brown youth from New Haven’s systematically marginalized neighborhoods to achieve lifelong success, and nothing less. Its mission is to provide opportunities for young people to develop a positive sense of self, connection and commitment to community, and respect and appreciation for their natural environment. From season to season, Solar Youth curates and conducts immersive programs for youth ages 4-18. These programs incorporate core elements of environmental exploration, non-violent communication, youth leadership and youth-led problem solving. Solar Youth’s vision is a New Haven and beyond in which youth are problem-solvers and the next generation of socially conscious leaders who advocate for our communities. 

The Fellow will conduct seamless processes for outreach and enrollment before and during Solar Youth’s 2025 Summer Camp. As Program Administrative Associate, the Fellow will recruit families and youth through various methods of communication, maintain highly organized records of all enrollment documents and medical forms, and resolve any difficulties families experience when submitting their documents.