On Wednesday, Oct. 11th, YES kicked off the 2023-24 season with the annual Fall Summit at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center. Seven teams participated with over 100 middle school and high school students and coaches in attendance; what an amazing day it was! Participants not only had the opportunity to spend time with their like-minded peers from all across the state, but also take part
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Welcoming YES Team Manager, Jake Schwinghammer
Meet Jake Schwinghammer! Youth Eco Solutions is so excited to have him as a part of our organization. He enjoys hiking, canoeing, fly fishing and sharing his passion for the outdoors and the environment with people of all ages. He thrives by helping people find creative ways to incorporate practical sustainability practices into their daily lives, while also guiding them to discover
Minnesota Youth Hit a Homerun with Award-Winning YES! Eco-Projects
On Sunday, May 14, 2023 - students from Youth Eco Solutions (YES!) assembled near home plate and watched themselves on the Jumbotron, waiting nervously for the announcer to reveal the results of the annual YES! Competition. Twins mascot T.C. Bear stood by, eager to celebrate with the winners. The 2023 State Champion, and receiving $500, was the Royalton YES! Team. During the school year, over 40
Farewell and Thank You, Mary Beth Botz!
YES! would like to congratulate Mary Beth Botz, Sleepy Eye YES! co-coach, on her upcoming retirement! During the last 13 years, Mary Beth guided nearly 200 YES! students from St. Mary’s Catholic School to successfully complete numerous team projects in partnership with Sleepy Eye Public School students and co-coach Deb Reinarts. When asked about her favorite coaching memory, Mary Beth said
Welcoming a New YES Director, Kalley Pratt
From Jennifer Swenson, PWELC Executive Director I'm excited to announce the hiring of Kalley Pratt as the new Director of Youth Eco Solutions. Kalley's first day in her new position will be May 1, 2023. As you know, Youth Eco Solutions (YES) is a statewide program empowering youth to create solutions to today’s ecological challenges through hands-on action projects. Kalley will assume
Southern Minnesota YES! Teams Learn About the Problems with Plastic and How to Reduce Waste
Recent workshops in Sleepy Eye (March 30) and Mankato (April 5) prepared YES! students with knowledge, activities, and resources about reducing waste at home, at school, or in their community. Participating schools were Sleepy Eye Public, St. Mary's Catholic (Sleepy Eye), Mankato East, Mankato West, and Westbrook-Walnut Grove. At both workshops, Jane Dow from Mankato Area Zero Waste taught
