Success this School Year Starts with Summer Institute

Fall and winter for high school seniors and juniors can be an anxious period, as they balance dealing with homecomings, college applications, and social events. The students who spent a week at Earth Tomorrow Atlanta’s Summer Institute this July have entered this season and school year with a head start. 

The Earth Tomorrow Atlanta Summer Institute provides high schoolers with a week-long intensive residential experience that includes hands-on leadership development activities and fieldwork. Our programming allows students to have meaningful experiences in nature, make friends, and get support around career and creative goals. We encourage students to think about what they can do today to support a better tomorrow. 

Fun, meaningful experiences in nature can turn anyone into a lifelong environmental steward. 

The outdoors provide the perfect backdrop to foster a spirit of curiosity, wonder, and appreciation for people of all ages and backgrounds. Many of the students we work with juggle multiple responsibilities, and our Summer Institute may be the only opportunity they have to relax in nature with trusted friends, an experienced outdoor community, and peer mentors who encourage them to step outside their comfort zones and connect with the natural world.

This summer, students participated in a guided hike at Arabia Mountain State Park alongside a park ranger, then spent the night at Panola Mountain State Park enjoying outdoor cooking contests, s’mores, competitive volleyball games, cornhole matches, and more. Half of our students learned how to pitch a tent and slept under the stars for the very first time, and most are eager to go camping again!  

• 80% of our students this year tried archery for the first time 
• 70% went fishing for the first time in their lives
• More than 65% of the students went kayaking for the first time

Spending time in nature, alongside a trusted community, is the surest way to ground youth, especially in our complex world. The Earth Tomorrow Atlanta Summer Institute helps students build new habits for rest and relaxation that don’t involve screens. We provide budding leaders with a space where they can cultivate their love of nature and the outdoors, and with a community that will support them as they consider personal, creative, educational, and career goals.

“As a peer mentor, I led students in hands-on environmental engagement initiatives that encouraged the students to immerse themselves in nature and community work with NWF. It was truly a rewarding experience, and one that I view as a necessary service to the younger generation of Black and brown students in the South.” Charmayne Planter, Summer 2025 Peer Mentor. 

From Education to Action

Students who join us for the Summer Institute return to campus as members of their school-based Earth Tomorrow Clubs. Each year, club members create and implement Community Action Plans (CAPs) that guide them in advancing sustainability and environmental initiatives. These CAPs are largely developed during the Summer Institute, taking in lessons from leadership development training, guest speakers, NWF’s College and Career Fair, site visits, and even the moments spent laughing and forming lasting relationships.  

This summer, an inspiring number of students were deeply moved by this year’s WAWA presentation on environmental justice. The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) has been a partner with Earth Tomorrow Atlanta since its inception. They are experts at environmental education and community engagement, especially within the context of Southwest Atlanta. Through dynamic presentations and site visits across Atlanta, our partners thoughtfully introduced the topics of stormwater runoff, water and air pollution, urban heat islands, toxic industries, and illegal dumping. 

Stormwater run-off is a major issue for urban environments, but the negative impacts can be mitigated by having healthy tree canopies that can soak up pollution. Green roofs have been proven to reduce heat islands in urban areas. Through visits to local community gardens, green roofs, and urban parks, we were able to bring these concepts to life in ways that left students feeling inspired rather than overwhelmed. 

Students left with a strong understanding of urban planning, green infrastructure concepts, and how they intersect with environmental challenges. Many felt motivated to plant trees, reduce waste, and participate in community clean-ups. Multiple Atlanta Earth Tomorrow Clubs are now in school, working on Community Action Plans that advocate for community gardens and green roofs, and more. 

Success is Where Preparation and Opportunity Meet

During the summer institute, students work together on Community Action Plans and explore college and career opportunities that intersect with sustainability, conservation, and environmental science. Every year, NWF hosts a College and Career Fair where students can network with leaders in the conservation, non-profit, green, and other environmental fields. 

Corina Newsome, National Wildlife Federation’s Conservation Scientist, shared her career journey as a wildlife biologist and gave students a look into the work of federal conservation science and policy. She encouraged students to consider how they can be environmental stewards in their careers and lives no matter their field of study or interest.  

This year: 

• 68% of our students learned more about the college application process, and
• More than 60% want to continue learning about green careers and colleges

Former NWF Fellow with the Climate and Energy Team, Sitashma Thappa, spoke to the students about fast fashion and how our consumer choices have an impact on land, water, wildlife, and people. Weaving climate and environmental narratives into (sometimes) unexpected spaces, like fashion, lets students see they can connect their passions to career and educational opportunities. These kids spend part of their summer with Earth Tomorrow because it’s fun and opens their minds up to the wealth of opportunities available to them.

Our program prepares students to tackle college application season and career planning alongside a trusted group of peers and peer mentors. Exploring what the future holds can be scary for all of us, but community goes a long way in making the journey a fun one. Year after year, students tell us that one of the most valuable aspects of the Summer Institute is the peer mentors. All of our peer mentors are either current college students or Earth Tomorrow Alumni and come back to support the program even after graduation. 

“I continue coming back to the Summer Institute because this has been the foundation of my career in environmental education. I would have never joined the fight for sustainability if it wasn’t for the Earth Tomorrow Summer Institute.”  Joshua Bellamy, Earth Tomorrow Alumni

The Earth Tomorrow Summer Institute 2025 in Atlanta successfully cultivated a generation of youth leaders informed and inspired to take action for the environment. Through thoughtful programming and peer-to-peer support, students were equipped not only with knowledge but also with a vision for the future of sustainability in their communities. 

We can’t wait to celebrate 25 years of Earth Tomorrow Summer Institute next summer!