YES! Program

Youth for Environmental Stewardship! (YES!)

As a non-profit community-based organization, CDC of PHP relies on the generosity of members like you. Your donations are used to cover a range of operating expenses in support of our initiatives.

The YES! (formally YCC) program provides an 8-week hands-on service-learning experience for high school students ages 16-18, highlighting stewardship and leadership. The ultimate goal of this program is to create a greater continuum for youth to move toward employment and leadership positions. 2025 will make the 8th year of this successful youth program, and the CDC is looking to fund 6-8 students for this year's program. 

Thanks to donors the youth in this program:

• Earn wages while restoring trails at the Kankakee Wildlife Refuge.

• Track endangered turtles alongside biologists, logging data that protects species.

• Build fences, clear invasive plants, and learn skills that translate to careers.

• Discover pride in their community's rare ecosystems—and their role in preserving them.

Last year, individual and corporate support equipped each student with $150 of gear: waterproof boots, compasses, first aid kits—tools that said, "You belong here."

Explore more stories and enjoy in the education and adventure through the eyes of the students though their journals full of lessons and pictures.

Explore more stories and enjoy in the education and adventure through the eyes of the students though their journals full of lessons and pictures.

Why This Matters

Pembroke-Hopkins Park sits on land stewarded for generations by Potawatomi, Odawa, and Ojibwe communities. Today, its sand savannas and biodiversity are a global treasure—but its youth face few opportunities.

YES! changes that.

• For Deshondre, it meant overcoming his fear of ticks to become a certified CPR responder.

• For Anne, it sparked a passion for botany after she helped catalog 85+ plant species.

• For Christine, it was the confidence to lead a community plant giveaway, handing out seedlings to neighbors.

"Before YES!, I didn't think people like me worked in conservation," Daquan admits. "Now I know—this land needs us."

Youth Internship Program

Our goal is to enhance educational experiences within a real-world community setting and develop leadership skills through community engagement. The Internship program will allow students to build transferable skills by working with professionals on community and environmental projects. Our interns will receive training and mentorship in community outreach and engagement, preservation, planning and mapping, and research

Black Brown & Green Eco Club

The Program's theme is to inspire 6-8 local youth ranging in ages 16 to 18 yrs old and their understanding and appreciation of their environment and neighborhoods by working on beautification and unification projects throughout their Pembroke community.