Youth Education Committee
By interacting with youth, not only will your committee introduce young people to the conservation science behind trout and salmon, but the joy of angling for wild fish in the waters where they belong.
Trout Unlimited’s Headwaters Youth Program consists of comprehensive guides and resources to trout and salmon conservation for America’s young people, ranging from Stream Explorers and Trout in the Classroom as primary students all the way to our Five Rivers Program for college students.
As your committee determines your plans moving forward, review the program opportunities below to help meet your strategic plan goals.
Youth Education Committee Chair
As the committee chair, you organize the committee to meet the goals set forth by your board. You will also encourage your team to invite committee prospects to join your planning efforts and build your cadre of leaders and supporters. Work with your board to adjust this position description to fit your shared expectations.
5 Rivers College Clubs
The TU Costa 5 Rivers program is a network of more than 100 TU-affiliated college fishing clubs around the country focused on conservation. As the capstone of the Trout Unlimited Headwaters Youth Program, these clubs seek to engage current and fly fishers-to-be on their campuses nationwide.
STREAM Girls
STREAM Girls is a unique experience that provides a STEM watershed experience for girls with the addition of recreation and arts. By visiting a local stream and having the opportunity to observe it as scientists, anglers, and artists, girls will get the complete picture of what their stream could mean to them.
Trout in the Classroom
Trout (or Salmon) in the Classroom offers students of all ages a chance to raise Salmonids in a classroom setting and then release them into a nearby stream or river. Caring for the fish fosters a conservation ethic in the students, and the act of walking to a streambank and directly releasing the fingerlings into the water makes a concrete connection between caring for the fish and caring for the water.
TU Teens
TU has teen members in every state. They often come to TU through a summer camp or fishing day, and they stay because they also care about conservation. More and more teens come to TU each year, all of them looking for ways to contribute their time, energy, and talents to our goals and mission.
Other Headwaters Youth Engagement Opportunities
The programs highlighted above are a sample of the available Headwaters Youth Engagement programs that chapters and councils can share with their emerging conservationists and anglers.