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Summer Youth Environmental Justice (SY EJ) Scholars Program

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The 2024 SY EJ Scholars Program application is open!
Nominations will close on May 22, 2024.

Local youth engaging with local environmental justice and health concerns

The Summer Youth Environmental Justice (SY EJ) Scholars Program is an 8-week summer program where 4 to 6 high school students will collaborate with the South Baltimore Community Land Trust, other community-based organizations, and researchers from the CHARMED Center and Towson University to join vibrant community-led environmental health research. As a SY EJ Scholar, you will learn about the history of environmental justice and youth-led action in South Baltimore, while getting hands-on with field and lab work. Scholars will help to address community-identified concerns with industrial pollution using creative, rigorous, and actionable research. Scholars will earn $15/hr for the 8-week period. 

The 2024 SY EJ Scholars Program will begin the last week of June and end in mid-August. Official dates and schedule are currently being finalized, and will be updated here. 

We'll be meeting weekly from Monday to Friday at either the Johns Hopkins East Baltimore Campus (615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205) or Benjamin Franklin High School in Curtis Bay (1201 Cambria St., Baltimore, MD 21226).

To see an example "week in the life" of a SY EJ Scholar, check out the graphic linked HERE.
 

  • High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (at the time of nomination) from Baltimore City interested in environmental health, environmental justice, and community science.

Who can apply or be nominated?

  • Interested youth can self-nominate/apply or be nominated by a teacher, parent, community member, or academic researcher. See the blue button below to visit the nomination form!

  • If you're a student who is self-nominating, you'll need to:

    • Submit a resume or CV (let us know if you need help putting this together);

    • Write a statement describing yourself and why you are interested in becoming a SY EJ Scholar (800 words max);

    • Create a creative response to the following prompt: What does a healthy, environmentally just, and sustainable future look like, and how do we get there?

      • Media projects can be in the following formats:​

        • Video or podcast (4 minutes max)

        • Song or recitation of a poem or written work (4 minutes max)

        • Essay, blog post, or letter-to-the-editor (double-spaced, 3 pages max)

        • Scanned or photographed copy of a piece of artwork (e.g., painting, drawing, sculpture, mosaic)

        • Infographic 

        • Comic strip or storyboard

        • Other

    • Description of creative response, if it is not already a written response. 

  • If you're nominating a student, you'll need to:

    • Tell us about the scholar nominee and the reason you are nominating them for the SY EJ Scholars Program (800 words max);

    • Have the nominee create a creative response to the following prompt: What does a healthy, environmentally just, and sustainable future look like, and how do we get there?

      • Media projects can be in the following formats:​

        • Video or podcast (4 minutes max)

        • Song or recitation of a poem or written work (4 minutes max)

        • Essay, blog post, or letter-to-the-editor (double-spaced, 3 pages max)

        • Scanned or photographed copy of a piece of artwork (e.g., painting, drawing, sculpture, mosaic)

        • Infographic 

        • Comic strip or storyboard

        • Other

    • Description of creative response, if it is not already a written response. 

 

Don't wait until the last minute! A CREATIVE RESPONSE IS A REQUIREMENT FOR ALL NOMINATIONS!

How do I apply or nominate someone?

Email CHARMED@jh.edu with any questions you have!

Let's hear from the 2023 cohort of SY EJ Scholars!

Vilma Gutierrez – Brooklyn resident and current senior at Benjamin Franklin High School

In the summer program, I learned a lot and it was a fun experience. I learned a lot of what’s happening in the community like with the coal and the industries. I was really shy at public speaking at first; but, over time, I got better and I’ve gotten confident talking in front of an audience. The reason I got through that was our team with their encouragement and wise words that gave me the courage to overcome that.

"

"

Taysia Thompson – Curtis Bay/Cherry Hill resident and student at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School

"

This summer program was a different experience for me. Being involved in a powerful movement and being around powerful people gave me a reality check of what is happening in our world. This was a lovely way to get involved with my community and also learn about the challenges that others face. When joining this group, I would have never thought of how much fun I had this summer.

"

If you're interested in learning more about the 2023 SY EJ Scholars impactful work, see below:

  • The 2023 Scholars developed a culminating presentation for briefings to community leaders, academic researchers, and policymakers, including Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson. See the presentation HERE.

  • A team from NPR spent a week with the Scholars to learn more about their research, their impacts, and their activism. Listen to or read the NPR coverage of the 2023 SY EJ Scholars HERE.

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