|
Greetings,
In this season of giving thanks we wanted to let you know how thankful we are that you support the work of YES! We are excited for the eighth season of YES!, which we kicked off at our YES! Fall Summits on October 22nd and November 19th. We're thrilled to have new partners, new staff members and new teams on board this year.
We're also planning the next YES! events - the Winter Workshops. In the meantime, please continue to check the YES! website for details and updates on the teams' work.
Sincerely,
The YES! Staff
|
|
Annual YES! Fall Summits: Explore. Excite. Engage. 
 | | Students explored various aspects of energy issues and opportunities during the 2014 YES! Fall Summits |
Over 170 students and teachers from 15 YES! teams from throughout southwest, west- central and central Minnesota gathered at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center on October 22nd for the eighth annual YES! Fall Summit. The northeastern cohort of YES! teams had their inaugural Fall Summit at Laurentian Environmental Center on November 19th, involving 43 students and teachers from 4 YES! teams. At this Summit "the energy buzzing around the room when it was time for teams to talk about their projects for the year was AMAZING! Each team was fired up to jump into projects both large and small."
This year's Summits provided a variety of energy-related experiences around the theme Explore. Excite. Engage. Read more about the Fall Summits at Prairie Woods ELC and Laurentian ELC.
|
New YES! Partnerships
We are excited to welcome new partnerships that allow us to reach even more schools and communities across the state:
 Central Minnesota Sustainability Project The Central Minnesota Sustainability Project with its dedicated staff and Board of Directors, works hard to fulfill the vision that one day, every Central Minnesota household will consciously utilize local, sustainably grown or ethically produced food, goods, and services.
Laurentian Environmental Center  Laurentian Environmental Center is a public residential educational facility in Britt, MN that combines science, environmental education, leadership training, and outdoor skills recreation programs. It is owned and operated by Mounds View Public Schools for use by people from throughout Minnesota and the Midwest.
Ney Nature Center  The Ney Environmental Education Foundation operates the Ney Nature Center (NNC), a 446-acre Environmental Learning Center and Le Sueur County Park located on the bluffs of the Minnesota River near Henderson, Minnesota. It is open to the public for hiking, bird-watching, and X-C skiing. It also serves as a regional teaching station for NNC Programing, local school groups, and Community Education.
|
The YES! Family is Growing
We are excited to welcome two new YES! Coordinators:Jim DeVries
 Jim DeVries is a YES! Coordinator in the new expansion area of NE MN and will be working from Laurentian Environmental Center in Britt, MN. We are excited for Jim to share his knowledge and enthusiasm with the YES! Program as a Coordinator for the Northeast MN YES! teams! Read more about Jim.
Winston Pennington-Flax
 Winston Pennington-Flax is a YES! Coordinator working from the Central Minnesota Sustainability Project in St. Cloud, MN. His passion for local foods and connections in central MN will certainly help him be an outstanding Coordinator for the Central MN YES! teams! Read more about Winston .
We will also be welcoming a new YES! Coordinator at Ney Nature Center soon!
|
Upcoming YES! Events
We are excited to once again offer Winter Workshops to YES! Teams in order to provide project specific help, hands-on learning and team mentoring. These workshops will take place across southern, central, and north-eastern Minnesota this winter.
Those interested in helping out at or participating in any of the Winter Workshops are encouraged to contact us. We're looking for potential businesses for teams to tour, experts for teams to meet with, and anyone interested in helping support the great work of the teams.
|
Did You Know...
 | A sign made by YES! students for their school cafeteria detailing organics recycling and other ways to reduce food waste
|
There are lots of ways to consider your food waste this holiday season. Recently, Coordinator Jim DeVries wrote an article on our blog about how to reduce your food waste this feasting season. Read all about it here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
YES! empowers youth to partner with their community to create economic and environmental vitality through hands-on learning and team-based projects.
YES! provides a unique opportunity for students to learn by engaging directly in community efforts that lead to dramatic demonstrations of renewable energy technology and conservation practices and exposes them to how science is applied in real life. |
|
YES! Program Partners
Program Funders
|
|
