Partner Story
AT A GLANCE: A USDA-backed grant introduced Detroit and Milwaukee students to forestry careers, delivered through trusted partners at Escuela Verde and Detroit Outdoors.
Kim Copeland
Sean Bussey
Isaac Piepszowski
Our Partner
Escuela Verde teachers Kim and Sean, alongside the Detroit Outdoors network, led this multi-city program.
Location: Detroit, MI & Milwaukee, WI
Audience: Middle & high school students
Focus: Forestry & conservation careers
Program Brief
That was the challenge behind the Youth Urban Forestry Accelerator, supported by a USDA Urban Forestry grant: introducing young people in Detroit and Milwaukee to forestry, conservation, and outdoor professionals, while making those careers feel like real choices.
The important part was who did the introducing. In Milwaukee, Escuela Verde teachers Kim and Sean already knew their students. In Detroit, Detroit Outdoors brought together schools and youth-serving organizations with leaders their young people already trusted. Our job was to give those leaders more places, people, and tools to work with.
So we helped turn forestry into something students could actually experience. Escuela Verde, based out of Council Grounds near Wausau, spent time identifying trees, worked alongside a Wisconsin DNR forester, saw active forestry at Rib Mountain, and visited Wausau’s Urban Forestry team. Detroit students headed into places like Pigeon River State Forest for their own multi-day immersions, and even spanned Michigan’s Upper Peninsula learning from tribal forestry experts.
We handled the scaffolding around those experiences: transportation, camping gear, food, reservations, partner stipends, grant administration, and connections with forestry professionals. Then we could get out of the way and let community leaders do what they do best.
Sometimes the partnership got wonderfully practical, too. During some downtime, Escuela Verde students helped us zip-tie bungee storage underneath every bus seat. By the end of the program, Kim and our team were already talking about getting students back together to help paint the bus.
That’s the model in miniature. A federal grant supplied resources. Get Outside Bus made those resources mobile. And community leaders turned them into experiences that made sense for their students.
I continue to be impressed by the significant effort and thoughtful planning that goes into your programming, and how effectively your work caters to such a wide range of partnerships. This past week and last weekend really deepened my appreciation for the Get Outside Bus community and the potential impact the work will continue to have for folks in Detroit… I’ve come away from the training with enough laughs to last me the month, a better understanding of your systems, and some valuable new skills (i.e. backcountry pizza making and actual compass competency).
Isaac Piepszowski
The US Forest Service wants more young people to explore careers in forestry, and asked Get Outside Bus to help make that happen.
With an aging workforce, many young people don't know these careers exist. Without many programs internally to drive this engagement, Get Outside Bus was uniquely positioned to get students to actually see these careers in action.
With a network of school partners around the country, Get Outside Bus was able to develop programs that brought young people to state, municipal, and urban forests to meet professionals - all in the context of a fun overnight program.
Dozens of students got hands on with foresters across the country, planting trees, learning about sustainable management, and building their own confidence and skill sets.
This is not the only career-oriented program or skills intensive - Get Outside Bus is currently raising funds to add intensives for fishing, hunting, and other careers.
