Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of attending Vermont Works for Women's (VWW) annual Women Can Do Conference, a one-day trades and STEM career exploration opportunity for high school girls and anyone who identifies as a girl regardless of assignment at birth. VWW is a wonderful nonprofit working to make employment opportunities more accessible and equitable through hands-on trainings, mentorship, and more. Similarly, one of our goals at Audubon Vermont is to diversify the next generation of conservation professionals by creating career pathways in conservation, so this event was a perfect fit seeing as conservation is and has historically been a male-dominated field. 

We set up our Outdoor Action Expo table among many other exciting employers. To our left, Boston Dynamics was showcasing a robotic dog and directly across from us Green Mountain Club was leading highschoolers in cross cutting a tree trunk! At our station, we hung plush versions of birds in a tree that Audubon Vermont manages land for such as a Black-throated Blue Warbler, Scarlett Tanager, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Hermit Thrush (our state bird!). We also included a Red-winged Blackbird to highlight a bird that was helpfully named for its appearance, unlike most birds. Students were encouraged to use binoculars and a bird guide to study the birds in the tree and try to ID them. These basic skills are ones that all employees at Audubon Vermont have - which isn't to say that we are all bird experts, but we know the tools needed to identify anything we are unsure about. 

We talked to students about how birds can be a gateway for many people to take more interest in their environment and local conservation action. One student pulled out their phone and showed us their beautiful bird watercolors! Other students asked questions about managing forests for birds, how our maple syrup is bird-friendly, and what we like most about our jobs. Kyra and I agree - one of our favorite parts about being in environmental education and conservation is getting to teach and share the things we care most about with others. This seemed to resonate with many folks who visited our table.

I wish this kind of event had existed where I grew up in Connecticut. It wasn't until the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college that I finally decided to study the environment. I spent two years studying psychology because it was one of the only careers I had been exposed to in high school. I wonder who I might be or if I would have gotten to where I am sooner with an event like this. 

Thanks again to VWW! We are inspired by your work and privileged to work alongside you in Serve Learn Earn, a workforce readiness collaborative made up by VWW, Audubon Vermont, ReSource, and Vermont Youth Conservation Corps.