Environmental Health and Justice Leadership Training
Our award-winning Environmental Health and Justice Leadership Training (EHJLT) program introduces WE ACT members to environmental justice, environmental health, community organizing, and campaign work to prepare more leaders from Northern Manhattan for advocacy work. After completing the training, participants of the EHJLT are equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to organize campaigns or projects for WE ACT and/or broader environmental/social justice movements on their own.
SUMMER 2023 ADULT EHJLT PROGRAM: Sign Up Today!
Our next adult EHJLT program kicks off on May 18, so sign up today. All the details are here.
In addition, each year we conduct a special Environmental Health and Justice Leadership Training program for students at the Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS). Pictured above is the 2019 graduating class of that program, and below is a video they put together to say thank you.
To give you a sense of the passion and enthusiasm these students have for our EHLJT program, below is short clip from the awards ceremony. At the end of the program, we hold an expo where teams of students present their projects, showcasing what they learned. We give out awards for the best presentations, and this the team that came in 4th place!
Also in 2019, we had a dozen WE ACT members participate in a summer Environmental Health and Justice Leadership Training program. They developed the skills and knowledge needed to become community advocates, whether supporting WE ACT initiatives or leading their own. This included learning about the foundations of organizing, clean air quality, climate justice and energy security, and healthy homes with guest speakers such as Mike Harrington of the New School’s Tishman Environment and Design Center, Dr. Jeanette Stingone of Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Health in Northern Manhattan, and Dr. Maida Galvez of the New York State Children’s Environmental Health Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Below are some testimonials from members who took our EHJLT program the summer of 2019.
If you are interested in participating in future EHJLT programs, please contact our Environmental Health and Education Manager Taylor Morton at taylor@weact.org or 212-961-1000 ext. 313. And you can learn more about our long history of providing environmental justice education opportunities for our community here.
Oronde, Graduate
“This training was extremely beneficial to me in that it pushed me to consider achievable ways in which I could make my home and surrounding neighborhood more environmentally sound by utilizing measurable environmental tools and tips. I am continually impressed with the level of knowledge and expertise of the WE ACT staff and trainers on environmental issues. They translate that expertise into practical tools and instruction that assist participants in making effective environmental improvements in their lives.”
For more testimonials on our Environmental Health and Leadership Training program, visit our YouTube playlist or click on the videos below: 
