"Looking back at the beginning of 2024 I felt that the year ahead was going to be a daunting journey. Awaiting both Fletcher, Community Programs Supervisor, and myself, the Conservation Education Instructor, laid the task of coordinating and leading four cohorts of the Outdoor Youth Corps (OYC) program and two cohorts of Outdoor Leadership Corps (OLC) . It was important that each cohort have the best possible experience! As the first cohort kicked off, it was easy to quickly fall into a rhythm and let the fears I had at the beginning of the season slip away. Those fears were quickly replaced with awe of not only the accomplishments of the OYC and OLC participants, but also their developed character and workforce skills.
These individuals brought light to my year and gave me hope for a better tomorrow. Thanks to the guidance of Fletcher, Nora Jennings; our OYC Summer Intern, both Julia Beckner and Jared Lyeki; OLC Assistant Crew Leads, EarthWays Center staff members, and many program partners around St. Louis for making this year an even greater adventure than I could have imagined!"
The Outdoor Youth Corps celebrated the successful completion of four cohorts. Valuable lessons were learned, unforgettable memories were created, and most importantly, participants discovered and embraced their own career potential. Over the course of the year, in the Spring Weekend Work Series, Alternative Spring Break, Summer Crew, AND Fall Weekend Work Series, 40 participants immersed themselves in OYC. These corps members completed stewardship projects all across St. Louis. From planting trees at Fairground Park to constructing a retaining wall for the Benton Park West Tiny House Project , OYC crew members honed their workforce development skills while contributing to impactful projects centered on our pillars of sustainability, conservation, horticulture, and community engagement—all making a difference in their St. Louis communities.
Among their many accomplishments, participants were able to complete a combined 90 hours maintaining and planting in established garden beds, 260 hours removing invasive species, 92 hours removing trash from greenspaces, bagging 5,880 pounds of compost for St. Louis residents, and interacting with over 150 green professionals! In addition, the crew celebrated many highlights from the 2024 programs including the return of the Shaw Nature Reserve Overnight, collaboration events with the Green Teen Network , and many more. What were some takeaways from participants?
“I enjoyed working at new places every week and receiving advice from professionals with years of experience. There was never a boring day, and I really feel like I have a grasp on the career and opportunities available to me in the future”
-Kelly; 2024 Spring Weekend Work Series
“I love this program! It gives me the opportunity to express myself in ways that benefit my community and those around me”
-Judas; FWWS 2024

The OYC Summer Crew participants celebrating during a team activity. Photo by Fletcher
The OYC program has much more to look forward to as we celebrate our 10 year anniversary in 2025!
While OYC was completing a successful year, the Outdoor Leadership Corps was making it’s OWN impact in St. Louis. The OLC program had two cohorts totaling 8 Restoration Assistants (RA) and 2 Assistant Crew Leaders. With the partnership and support of Great Rivers Greenway, the RA’s completed many ecological projects ranging from invasive species removal to seed collection.

They tackled habitat restoration projects in over 20 different parks and greenways. Something unique to the fall cohort was the installation of a pollinator garden at North Riverfront Park along the Mississippi Greenway. OLC spearheaded the planning and planting of this project, ensuring its establishment, and will continue to maintain it through the dedication of future cohorts. The OLC crew were also able to interact with many professional peers in the community including Great Rivers Greenway, Forest ReLeaf, Missouri Department of Conservation, and the City of St. Louis Forestry Department. During the spring and fall four-month cohorts, the Outdoor Leadership Corps (OLC) achieved remarkable milestones: clearing over 5 acres of invasive species, seeding more than 7 acres with native plants, facilitated the planting of over 130 trees, guided 9 community volunteer events, and accomplishing much more! The OLC crew also had their own takeaways from this year.

The Spring OLC Cohort at Powder Valley Nature Center for a workforce development day.
Photo by Bryn Blackburn, Great Rivers Greenway
“OLC is a great program with a bunch of valuable experiences, the chance to meet so many great people, and make a real difference. Fletcher and Olivia are the best! So supportive, smart, efficient, and awesome leaders”
-Jared; Assistant Crew Lead Fall 2024
“This has been a great experience and I'm grateful to everyone involved on staff to keep this program in place and funded! Thank you!”
-Grace; Restoration Assistant Fall 2024

The first day of fall OLC at Chain of Rocks Bridge. Photo by Fletcher
One dream Fletcher and I often express is to see the alumni from our programs join us as peers in the St. Louis green career field. That dream started to become a reality as the alumni from OLC have continued their careers with organizations we frequently partner with (Forest ReLeaf, city municipalities, landscaping companies) including right here at the Missouri Botanical Garden! We were also excited to see the crew members from OYC start their own journeys into careers as many graduated from high school earlier this year and began college and trade programs. While we’re always sad to say goodbye, we know there is a plethora of potential instore for each individual and look forward to hearing more about their journeys!

OYC and OLC in fall celebrating the end of an invasive species event at St. Vincent Park. Photo by Fletcher
As we look ahead in to 2025 both Fletcher and I are excited at the possibilities to come. OYC will be celebrating 10 years as a paid education and workforce development program for youth. The OLC program will also continue to grow as restoration projects planned with Great Rivers Greenway will allow the OLC crew to gain more hard skills in the conservation field. While there is still work to be done before the 2025 community program season begins, I’m excited at the possibilities to come and am thankful to have an amazing team at the EarthWays Center to support the journey ahead!