Take Action / Just for Youth
Get outside.
Reach your volunteer goals.
Get your squad involved.
Love the outdoors?
Looking to build your resume for a career in environmental advocacy or conservation?
We’ve got you covered.
Become an Intern
By becoming an intern, we guarantee lots of outdoor time and hands-on projects.
What Our Interns Do:
Plant and pot seedlings and provide ongoing tree care at our Sand Hill Tree Nursery.
Lead groups on river and road cleanups throughout WNC.
Install and maintain Trash Trouts™ on area creeks and streams.
Lead environmental education programs for school and community groups.
Learn from local environmental leaders and our partners.
Drive tractors, dig holes, spread mulch, weed beds, and prune trees during maintenance workdays at our food orchards, public pollinator gardens, and other planting sites.
Youth Environmental Leadership Program (YELP)
Want to spend the summer going on environmental adventures throughout WNC?
The Youth Environmental Leadership Program is an 8-11 week paid summer internship, primarily for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) young people of high school and college ages.
Our YELP Interns get the chance to try a variety of environmental conservation and advocacy activities throughout WNC — from scientific data collection, to kayak and camping trips, to working directly with the community at our GreenWorks project sites.
GreenWorks School Credit Internship Program
Complete your service requirements while building a foundation for a career in the environmental movement.
Our goal is to provide a hands-on learning environment where you build skills and experience in environmental conservation and advocacy. You are not fetching coffee. You are building a climate-resilient future for your community.
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If you are interested in completing a specific project, please let us know in your application.
We plan a robust program for you, so interns are expected to arrive at each project on time and prepared and clothed for their assignments. Please note that you’ll be expected to perform physical tasks outdoors in all types of weather, including picking up litter, wading or boating in creeks and streams, digging in the dirt, weeding and pruning, or leading educational programs for a school or community group. Depending on the task, you will be expected to arrive in appropriate clothing and footwear, and it’s always a good idea to bring an extra change of clothes with you.
Interns participate in river and road cleanups, assist with water quality monitoring and improvement projects, plant and care for trees, assist with recycling education and events, lead educational programs, and perform maintenance at our established planting sites.
Please note that interns seeking to work on the water will be required to demonstrate competent swimming skills and a basic understanding of canoeing and kayaking. Monthly orientations will cover basic boating, first aid, water safety and volunteer group management.
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Applicants must be at least 16 years of age and have access to transportation. This is a part-time, unpaid internship. Applicants must have a requirement to complete service hours as part of their undergraduate (high school or college) education. Applicants with disabilities or physical impairments will not be turned away. Though we accept applications year-round, please note that we may not always have the capacity to host interns at any given time.
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Having successfully completed your internship you will receive a letter of recommendation, and a record of your accumulated hours and skills.
Spend Your Alternative Break in Asheville!
Throughout the year, Asheville GreenWorks works with college and university groups from across the country on service-oriented alternative break trips. Students work with our staff on project needs within three of our main program focus areas: Rivers and Roads, Urban Forestry, and Waste Reduction.
In addition to this active service, students also have the opportunity to build skills and knowledge on topics like Leave No Trace, low-waste living, local environmental and social issues, nonprofit operations, and more.
To learn more about alternative break trips, please download the information packet.
If you would like to request trip dates, please contact volunteer@ashevillegreenworks.org.
Request a Project or Program for Your Group
Want to give back to your community AND get your squad involved? All year long, we work with local clubs, classes, and groups to complete team service projects. We also bring environmental education programs to school and youth groups – or we can help you start your own project.
If you’re interested in doing something to help the environment, reach out and let us know (even if you’re not sure what you want to do). To request a project, please contact volunteer@ashevillegreenworks.org
Complete Your Service or Volunteer Hours
Each year, hundreds of eco-minded kids – elementary school through college-age – reach out to GreenWorks to volunteer their time.
This is the right place to be if you want to join a volunteer event for fun, complete an Eagle Scout or class project, or close out your service hours requirement for graduation.
Have a specific project you’d like to complete?
Please contact volunteer@ashevillegreenworks.org
Looking for a public project?
Connect to our volunteer hub to create a profile and find an event.