Youth Environmental Action

About YEA

Youth Environmental Action (YEA) is a community-based environmental education program serving Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore - Wicomico, Worcester, and Somerset counties.  Our mission is to support young people in taking action on hyper-local environmental issues and to build up their capacity to lead and make the change they want to see in their community.

YEA supports a year-round youth leadership program called the YEA Student Ambassadors, and provides students with tools, funding, partnerships, and guidance to bring their classroom and community action projects to life.

Formerly known as the Youth Environmental Action Summit (YEAS), we dropped "Summit" from our name in 2025 to reflect the full scope of our work. Since 2019, we’ve hosted four Youth Summits engaging hundreds of students, supported more than 100 student-led projects, and provided meaningful leadership opportunities for over 50 high school students.

YEA is fiscally sponsored by the Wicomico Environmental Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to championing a healthy environment for all in Wicomico County. 

Student-Led Action & Community-based Work in 2025

In 2025, YEA took bold steps to create visible, lasting change our community:

• Pollinator Meadow at the Sarbanes Library Branch — Ambassadors researched, designed, and began planning a new pollinator meadow at the future site of the Wicomico Public Library’s Sarbanes Branch. This will serve as a demonstration project as part of a larger regional pollinator initiative, with groundbreaking planned for spring 2026.

• Boundless Community Garden Expansion — In spring 2025, Ambassadors designed and built a new garden segment to expand pollinator habitat at the Boundless Community Garden. The garden has thrived all summer, attracting butterflies, bees, and other beneficial pollinators that help sustain the space.

• Ongoing Care & Food Access Work — Ambassadors and community volunteers continue to care for the Boundless Garden, harvesting fresh produce and delivering it to residents of Salisbury’s Newtown neighborhood. YEA has been a steward of this space since 2020, when a former Ambassador first adopted it as part of her YEA action project.

• Community Outreach & Environmental Education — YEA participated in multiple outreach events this year, including Salisbury’s Sustainability-themed 3rd Friday, where Ambassadors shared hands-on activities and inspired residents to take everyday actions to protect our environment.

• Recognition & Leadership Beyond YEA — YEA Ambassadors continue to shine as young environmental leaders. In 2025, two were honored as “Rising Stars” by the Wicomico County Commission for Women; three were invited to speak on a statewide youth leadership panel at the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education Conference; and one will be recognized by WET at their 2025 Annual Dinner for outstanding community leadership.