Middle and High School Students Invited to Youth Environmental Summit

Kent, MD

Students at Queen Anne’s County High School take action by building oyster reef balls on their campus. The Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit aims to celebrate and inspire these types of student environmental action projects.
Students at Queen Anne’s County High School take action by building oyster reef balls on their campus. The Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit aims to celebrate and inspire these types of student environmental action projects. – Contributed Photos

Registration is now open for the 2022 Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit. The event is co-hosted by ShoreRivers and the Washington College Center for Environment and Society, and will take place at Washington College’s Gibson Center for the Arts in Chestertown on Saturday, March 19, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Summit, open to middle and high school students, is a conference-style day to celebrate and empower youth environmental action on the Eastern Shore. Spaces are available for 100 students and are expected to fill up quickly. Visit uppershoresummit.weebly.com/mentors to register and explore Summit activities.

The Summit agenda includes a networking breakfast, where students will learn about local environmental volunteer and internship opportunities and resources to support their action ideas. Student keynote speakers will kick off speaker sessions that include professionals such as Imani Black, founder and CEO of Minorities in Aquaculture, and ShoreRivers Chester Riverkeeper, Annie Richards. Other highlights include an environmental art challenge and complimentary breakfast and lunch. Summit student leaders have helped to plan engaging, relevant, and exciting activities throughout the event.

Summit hosts are accepting registration submissions from adult community members who wish to serve as Summit mentors. Mentors are responsible for groups of 1-10 youth participants during the event, and could be a parent, teacher, scout leader, 4-H leader, etc. Students who do not yet have a mentor but still wish to participate in the Summit can register separately through the website’s student page and be matched with a group that has a registered mentor. Participants must register no later than March 4, 2022.

The Upper Shore Youth Environmental Action Summit is seeking event sponsors who want to empower local youth in environmental action. Please contact ShoreRivers Director of Education Suzanne Sullivan at ssullivan@shorerivers.org to learn more about sponsorship. The Summit will be in person and will follow COVID protocols, including reduced attendee capacity and mandatory masks. Summit hosts are monitoring the situation and will switch to virtual if necessary.

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~ Suzanne Sullivan, Director of Education
ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education. shorerivers.org