Guest writer: The importance of empowering youth stewards

The Youth Leadership Program through Washington State Parks consists of high school–aged members from across the state, who come together with State Parks staff every month to discuss issues relating to youth in the parks. This could mean picking a playground design for a redesigned park, or it could be voicing our thoughts — as peers of the target demographic — on how to bring teenagers into the outdoors. Not only does this program allow youth and students to provide their opinions to the willing ears of career park employees, it fosters a culture of stewardship among its members.

This program has provided an outlet for me to speak my mind to an agency doing real work that impacts my community. Being able to provide my own input — and knowing my voice will be heard — is a powerful experience, and one that I am deeply grateful to have been afforded. Giving youth agency over the changes happening in their communities is important because today’s younger generations will be the ones living with and maintaining the state parks for years to come. Such is the beauty of the Youth Leadership Program; it empowers today’s youth to take a part in building the future.

Today’s youth are tomorrow’s voters, educators and world leaders, and the Youth Leadership Program builds confidence, opens connections to careers in government and conservation and nurtures a passion for stewardship in today’s youth. To me, being taught how to make a difference by using my voice has been truly transformative. A citizenry that has the opportunity to engage with the agency behind much of their public lands is a citizenry that will provide opportunities for Washington’s state parks to flourish. Because youth are the future, including us in the conversations about parks management is important. Empowering those who will one day make the decisions about public lands management by letting them develop their voice now through direct conversations and action.

I have been a member of the Youth Leadership Program for two years, and through it, I have met numerous diverse yet like-minded peers who share a passion for stewardship. When I joined last year, the program was run by a regional office within the state parks agency. This year, the program was adopted by the statewide DEI team, allowing for us members to have a wider influence across the state. The YLP has brought us together through a common strand — Washington State Parks — but has also allowed each and every one of us to spread our wings in a different direction. I discovered my interest in architecture through this program, just as others in my cohort have found their own interests through the mentorship connections available to YLP members.

The most local state park to me is Larrabee, and since participating in the YLP, I have gained a greater appreciation for this park and the rest of the public lands I have the privilege of spending time on. Having met firsthand the architects who design the bathrooms and structures, the communications staff who market the parks, the rangers who keep visitors safe, and so many other people who are pieces of the Washington State Parks puzzle, I understand the importance of retaining social and governmental support for public lands.

This program has not only taught me the importance of stewardship, but has connected me with so many other people who share a passion for parks and the common goal of sustaining them for our generation and the many more to come. My own dialogues directly with the parks commission have proven that youth can make a difference. I hope that the state parks of Washington can serve future generations as well as they have served me, and I am sure that the Youth Leadership Program will continue to teach the youth of Washington to cherish our public lands and to be assertive in fighting for our future.

High schoolers, apply today to be a part of this life-changing program!

This blog post was prepared as an independent culminating project for the end of the 2024–2025 Youth Leadership Program. Email dei@parks.wa.gov for more information about YLP.