Earth Month Volunteer Spotlight
Environmental Volunteers
Building Passionate Children Scientists Through Passionate Volunteers
Volunteers like Miriam Awan and Helena Wee are the backbone of Environmental Volunteers (EV), an environmental education nonprofit that provides science and nature programming for schools and the community through nature field trips, classroom programs, homeschool programs, public programs, and community programs. With a mission to get kids excited and informed about science, they help connect passionate people with opportunities to share their love of science and nature with others through their volunteer programs.
Environmental Volunteers’ Operations and Development Coordinator, Via de Jesus, emphasizes the importance of not only having volunteers teach children environmental education, but for their volunteers to be passionate about the work.
“Our volunteers, we would be nothing without them. They are the ones who go out and deliver the programs. They are the ones who create such a big sense of community at EV. When the kids see that people care about them, adults being there, it makes such a big difference to kids, to see that passion and to see that care, both for nature but for the kids themselves,” says Via de Jesus.
Miriam Awan, a current senior at Stanford University pursuing an environmental science degree, is the Chapter Director of EV’s Sprout Up program on Stanford’s campus. She joined Sprout Up three years ago as a way to get more involved in the community outside of the school and share her love of nature.
Her role as Chapter Director has allowed her to expand the number of schools they interact with, giving more under-resourced schools the opportunity to provide their students with free, college-student-led, environmental education to children K through 2nd grade.
“This year we've actually been able to expand to a new Elementary School in East Palo Alto, where we taught our lessons in English and Spanish for students. So that was a challenge to figure out: how do we take these lessons we've been teaching and find a way to teach them in Spanish as well to reach more students? But I think ultimately, we've been pretty successful in this last quarter, and I'm really excited for the club to continue to reach schools outside of the immediate vicinity around Stanford,” says Miram.
Retired chemistry teacher, Helena Wee, is a volunteer for EV’s Nature Scientist program, which offers in-person, hands-on science and nature programs for K-6 classrooms. Throughout her years of teaching, Helena noticed that by the time some of the young adults reached her classroom, they had developed a fear for the subject perhaps due to lack of exposure.
By joining EV, she hopes to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for science early in children’s educational journey, so that they can carry that forward and develop a passion for understanding and caring for our environment later in life.
“I just love working with kids. There are so many moments where you see the little spark in their eyes when you're showing them something, or they're picking up something, or they're recognizing something as they go along. I mean, you can tell them and tell them and tell them, and it doesn't penetrate until they work on it, and something goes right or wrong, and then, you know, they can react to it,” says Helena.
As volunteers at EV, Miriam and Helena are helping to raise a new generation of students who are curious, excited, and informed about the environment. They are EV’s mission in action.
“No one is too young to start learning about nature and their local environment. I've learned that it's okay not to know things even when you're a kid or when you're an adult. And it's awesome to be able to be open to learning, be open to exploring, no matter what age you are, and kids learn from adults, and adults learn from kids,” remarks Via.
Environmental Volunteers is making outstanding contributions to our community and the lives of our children, thanks to the power and impact of volunteers like Miriam and Helena. As we recognize both Earth Day and Volunteer Appreciation Week this month, we are honored to spotlight the work of this important grantee organization and the people power behind it. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or helping support this incredible non-profit, check out their website today.