Youth Environmental Education

APW is helping to grow the next generation of conservation leaders. Our youth environmental education programs directly impact children through after-school wildlife clubs, national park field trips, environmental summer camps, and scholarship programs.

OUR IMPACT

7,000+

schoolchildren taught about environmental issues

577

students took part in environmental summer camps

57

full-ride secondary school scholarships granted

Rural children run outside while attending a Wildlife Club, one of APW's environmental education programs.

Wildlife Clubs

Hundreds of rural schoolchildren in four key communities take part in our after-school wildlife clubs. Students study topics such as local wildlife ecology, natural resource management, and Tanzania's conservation history. They also plan and execute fun-filled, community-wide events like World Lion Day and Earth Day. Wildlife club graduates serve as youth environmental mentors, working weekly with their respective clubs to organize activities and serve as role models.

Environmental Summer Camps

Week-long environmental summer camps provide rural students with in-depth knowledge about specific conservation themes. To participate, campers must compete via a written exam and be active members in one of our wildlife clubs. Our evaluations show that campers experience increased environmental knowledge, positive attitude shifts, and a desire to affect change in their communities.

A student answers a question at Environmental Summer Camp, one of APW's youth education programs.

A group of students ride in a vehicle while visiting Tarangire National Park.

National Park Trips

Visiting a national park is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many rural youth. Each year, we take our wildlife club members on a field trip to Tarangire National Park, where they are exposed to the tourism industry and can see and learn about wild animals in a relaxed atmosphere. Pre- and post-trip evaluations have shown increased knowledge about wildlife and the environment.

Noloholo Environmental Scholarships

Many rural youth in Tanzania cannot afford the cost of education beyond primary school. To date, we have provided 44 high-achieving students with six-year, full-ride scholarships to a private secondary school. We have also awarded 13 additional youth with scholarships to attend a local secondary school. The first graduates of the program are now pursuing their education at universities.

A group of Noloholo Environmental Scholars study together.

“I love all the science subjects, but my favorite subject is biology. I would like to be an animal biologist one day.”

Youth Environmental Education