Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful is an environmental non-profit with a focus on connecting people with nature. Their main mission is to "help people and nature thrive".

The Youth Tree Team is a summer program focused on tree maintenance and relationship building in the greater Indianapolis area. The program is composed of the Youth Tree Team Manager, 10 college students, and roughly 60 high school students.

From this position, I came to appreciate the connections that can be made through simply being outside. Watching the youth form connections with each other as well as experiencing that with the people my own age, I learned that when people with different backgrounds and interests can find connection by working towards a common goal. I also appreciated meeting and connecting with the people in the communities where we were working. Seeing how a tree can impact someone's day helped me realize that trees are important for both the environment, but also the people who live in it.

Through this experience, I grew as a leader and a decision maker. I found myself becoming more confident in decisions that I made for a group, without the input of every single person. I also found the balance between fun and hard work which was helpful in managing high school students.

I developed a new appreciation for the tree on the side of the road. I saw how much of an impact that tree was able to make on neighborhoods and the people who reside in them. I also continued to develop my passion for greenspace equity in urban spaces. As I continue forward in my academic and career endeavors, I want to continue to be motivated by these inequities in hope of creating greenspaces that are accessible to all people.

 https://www.kibi.org/ 

 https://www.kibi.org/volunteer/ 

 https://www.kibi.org/program/youth-tree-team/