Our Impact
Current Results
We currently serve more than 200 city kids each year in nature discovery and career exploration programming. Our students are making new friends, learning new skills, improving their physical and mental health, exploring growing green careers and having lots of fun! Click below to read our latest program evaluations and informal surveys.
ECOS Nature Club Parent Survey Fall 2023
ECOS Nature Club Student Perspective Fall 2023
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Historical Results
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Prior to Covid-19, we offered Sustainability and Workforce Readiness programming for high school juniors and seniors. We are proud of the hundreds of young leaders we worked with, the 16,000 hours of internships we funded, and the innovative retail store we created.
During this time, our students, staff and volunteers were involved in a number of environmental projects in Kansas City. These included planting projects (adding 4,000 native plants, shrubs and trees in urban KCMO), community education, video PSAs and art projects. Click to read more about this community work.
Read more about these past programs in the sections below.
ECOS Nature Club Registration
Excelerate Workforce Leadership
Excelerate was a year-long after school program where students learned and practiced skills including problem solving and communication. They researched careers, created career plans, wrote a resume and developed a LinkedIn profile. They participated in practice interviews and job site visits, and every lesson included sustainability at home and the workplace. Students who completed Excelerate were eligible for paid summer work experiences described below.
All Excelerate graduates were better prepared for employment, and 100% graduated from high school. Read more in our formal Excelerate program evaluations:
2018 Evaluation by Dr. Connie Campbell
2015 Evaluation by Dr. Alexis Petri
Summer Work Experience
Students who completed all Excelerate components earned a paid summer work experience aligned with their career goals. Green Works staff arranged the work opportunities and Green Works covered the cost of the student stipends. Over 13 years we funded more than 16,000 hours of paid work experience for our students.
Sustainable Business Interns and Retail Store
From 2020 – 2023, we involved students and young adult interns in our social enterprise retail store, The Perennial Bee. The young adults manufactured sustainable products, managed inventory, fulfilled online orders, waited on customers, created window displays and assisted with marketing and signage design. Through this unique opportunity, we provided these young adults with firsthand experience running a small business in a sustainable way while introducing community members to more sustainable choices.
Read more about our retail store and what our students said about the program and the impact on their thinking.
“I appreciate that the interns are actively involved in all the decisions for the store. And I love the fact that everything we do is guided by our overarching concern for the environment. I hope to have my own business someday and I have learned so much that will help me!” – Intern