Growing young leaders and trees

Last year in late March, the Youth Managers (YMTs) of Tree Musketeers began planning El Segundo's 30th Annual Arbor Day Celebration. With three seniors graduating in 2016 and seven new recruits in the fall, there was little time to spare in getting all the YMTs up to speed on their responsibilities while also getting on the same page for preparing to reach a huge milestone.

For many years, young leaders who were passionate about getting more involved in their community could take leadership training classes such as Personal Skills, People Skills, Organizational Management and Public Speaking. After completing these four summer program courses, those interested in joining the Youth Management Team were tasked with filling out an application, going through an interview process, taking an orientation and finally passing a Youth Supervisor Training program later in the fall. Unlike previous celebrations, the Youth Managers got a head start focusing on making this event one of the best that Tree Musketeers has ever hosted.

Some of the big changes to this year's plan included new tree planting sites along California Street in El Segundo, mulching the entirety of the western half of Imperial Highway median adjacent to LAX, and having volunteers participate in pruning during the event for the first time. Now that trees planted over the last several Arbor Day celebrations are into their juvenile years and ready for pruning, six teams will be led by a certified arborist who will train individuals in their teams. With so many Youth Managers performing so many different tasks, the staff and instructors at Tree Musketeers spent extra time prepping them for the opportunity to speak to the local news, give a speech at city council, and present to a group of over 400 volunteers.

Planning has been a growing process for the young leaders at Tree Musketeers. Here is what a few of them had to say:

        "Planning this year's Arbor Day event has been a very fun, exciting, and challenging experience. It has definitely opened my eyes to what some of the greatest leaders must go through on a regular basis to plan and organize community change." -Fernando, President and Youth Manager, 16-years-old

        "This has been a great way to lend a helping hand in the community with the problem of climate change." -Alison, Youth Manager

        "Helping to plan an event like this shows what it's like in the real world to be a leader as an adult." -Sebastian, Youth Manager

Fernando, Lucas, Nk, Alison, Kate, Victor, Sebastian, and Paloma of the Youth Management Team would like to give a huge thank you for helping to train them for future work in social and environmental justice.