A key focus of TREES NC is to engage youth to participate in environmental improvement programs in their own neighborhoods. 

Since 2004, our founding chapter, Trees Asheboro, has engaged hundreds of young people in a series of ongoing tree plantings, litter pick-up walks, gardening projects and educational programs.  With this firm foundation in place, Trees Asheboro was in a unique position to conduct a high impact Environmental Leadership Program for youth aged 6-18 in Asheboro’s East Side neighborhood.

YES!YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE—is an outreach and education program that provides participating youth the opportunity to witness and be motivated by “up close and personal” experiences with environmental and community leaders. Our pilot program, YES! East Side, has two key focuses—environmental education workshops and community service. By attending Environmental Educational Workshops, participants receive the tools and knowledge needed to become environmental stewards of their neighborhoods. The community service portion is helping participants develop “hands on” skills, while building self-esteem and a vested interest in their community.

YES! East Side is supported by generous grants from Resourceful Communities, the N.C. Rural Center and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. 

 

Members of the YES! East Side Senior / Youth Community Garden enjoy the opportunity to grow
their favorite vegetables in a raised bed plot.

 

Youth Environmental Leader Dimitri Saglier, a
Junior at Asheboro High School, guides members
of the Central Boys and Girls Club in the proper methods for mulching a tree. This tree is very special
to the youth, as it was grown from a tree under which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used to make fiery
speeches in Alabama. The “Martin Luther King Tree” was planted on the grounds of the central Boys and Girls Club in Asheboro by Trees Asheboro
volunteers in 2003.