October 15, 2024
Have you ever stopped to think about the individuals who have positively impacted you over the course of your career? Your life? The people who helped shape the path you’re on, who served as a sounding board, who guided you through rough waters?
We all need mentors. We all can be mentors.
Mentors profoundly impact the lives of others. They inspire, they introduce, they encourage, they support.
Whether you’re a 5th grade teacher, a university professor working with preservice teachers, an executive director of a nonprofit, or a natural resource professional, you can nurture relationships with the next generation of green leaders.
It doesn’t matter about your background or level of experience. What matters is your kindness, openness, and willingness to be a mentor. You may be just what someone else needs to jumpstart their future.
Fostering Relationships
Through PLT’s educational and career exploration resources that enable educators to introduce learners to various green jobs to SFI/PLT Canada’s Green Mentor Program, we are committed to educating and mentoring young people to connect them to their desired pathway, growing the next generation of forest and conservation leaders.
Personally, I am passionate about mentorship. As SFI’s Career Readiness Manager, I have witnessed the pivotal role of mentorship in advancing career pathways in forestry and conservation. The mentors in our program, established leaders with extensive networks and knowledge, play a crucial role in guiding and supporting our mentees in growing their career pathways. Our Green Mentor program ensures young professionals know the diverse opportunities available locally and binationally, strategies to advance their career pathways, and tips to grow their networks.
Former Green Mentor program participant and mentee, Kianna Bear-Heatherington, shared that “This experience helped shape me into a greater agent of change and given me more accountability in my life.” Like Kianna, other mentees have shared similar experiences and expressed immense gratitude for the bonds they have made with their mentors.
PLT’s Career Exploration Resources
So many young people are only aware of careers like doctor, lawyer, engineer, or police officer. That’s why introducing learners to a wide variety of jobs starting at an early age is ideal. You can open their eyes and spark interest in new possibilities!
Did you know that PLT’s PreK-12 instructional materials include information about various careers?
- In Trees & Me: Activities for Exploring Nature with Young Children, you’ll find an “Explore Careers” section in each activity.
- In our flagship curriculum, Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide / Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8, we have a “Career Corner” / “Profesiones” section in the activities.
- PLT’s Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers, Black Faces in Green Spaces: The Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers, and Find Your Green Job: Youth Personality Quiz are amazing resources for older students to learn about jobs in sustainability, forestry, and conservation.
Be the person who introduces a 5-year-old to forestry or opens a teenager’s eyes to a future as a wildlife biologist. Nurture a relationship with a college student and help them explore a career in environmental education.
There are endless green job opportunities out there, and you just never know how you may inspire and impact the career trajectory of someone!
