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    The Alliance’s community-centered conservation department is piloting a national Youth Educators Peer Network. The network will provide virtual opportunities for land trust staff, volunteers and board members who lead youth and family programs. We invite you to participate, whether you work primarily in formal classroom or informal outdoor settings. We recognize that nature and place based education is important in all life stages, and encouraging children to find a local place in nature is the first step to creating lifelong stewards, advocates and conservation professionals.

    Schedule

    This pilot program will feature quarterly virtual meetings from 2:00-3:30pm Eastern on the following dates:

    • Jan. 28, 2026

    • April 22, 2026

    • July 22, 2026

    • Oct. 21, 2026

    Primary audience

    This peer group is geared towards trust staff, volunteer or board members who are currently implementing education programs for K-12, youth and families. We will have resources for practitioners who are just getting started, and for those who have been in the field for decades.

    Topics

    The goal of this network is to provide a space for education practitioners to build relationships, cross-pollinate knowledge, gain insights and advice from peers and learn from established career professionals. Discussion and presentation topics may include:

    Working in and out of schools

    How to build an impactful, resilient program no matter where you are.

    Meaningful engagement

    How do you build inclusive, culturally responsive programs that resonate for all participants? How do you tailor tried and true programs and methods to meet the unique development, language and/or access needs of participants?

    Best practices

    What tools and resources work? How do you keep participants engaged? What methods work in a virtual setting?

    Measuring success

    How do you evaluate your program for long term improvement, fundraising and promotion?

    We will also promote other opportunities to engage, including those hosted by partners. Some opportunities that might be of interest include:

    Evaluation Toolkit Webinar

    Jan. 14, 2026

    Details TBA

    Land Trust Education Leadership Summit

    March 2-6, 2026

    Hosted by Southern Oregon Land Trust

    Youth Educators Peer Network Lunch and Round Table

    Sept. 16-18, 2026, time TBA

    Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference in Denver, CO

    Thank you to Feather River Land Trust for the support in creating this opportunity.

    Join the group

    Questions?

    Reach out.

    Ajiah Gilbert

    Community-Centered Conservation Program Manager

    email