Change is on the Rise

Cultivating the Next Generation of Eco-conscious Youth

Words by Tejal Takkar Photos Courtesy of EcoRise

EcoRise is an East Austin grown social enterprise that aims to teach school-aged children about environmental sustainability, civic engagement, and critical thinking.

While working in international education for a number of years, Gina LaMotte, EcoRise founder, developed her passion for providing young people “opportunities to have a voice while learning critical 21st century skills: skills that will prepare them for the futures that they face.” EcoRise curriculums “teach about environmental sustainability and climate change as well as leadership, civic engagement, creative problem solving, and systems thinking.”

Gina launched EcoRise at a charter school on the Eastside where she was welcomed with open arms. From that one school 14 years ago, EcoRise has grown to serve over 800 teachers in Austin and over 8,000 teachers around the country. EcoRise, originally Uplift Austin, initially worked with Title One schools primarily in East Austin, because “young people who were coming from historically marginalized communities didn’t have as much access to resources and programs.” Over time, the program grew to serve students across all backgrounds because the team realized that “sustainability is not taught to students anywhere, and we need all students to have this awareness and this level of environmental engagement on these topics.”

This program focuses not only on environmental literacy but also on “how [to] take that into the world and become changemakers.” Gina adds, “This action piece is key to our impact because students feel a level of empowerment and community engagement.” Many of the students who experienced EcoRise’s programming have gone on to be interested in careers in sustainability or have taken action impacting their communities.

“If we could mobilize youth to be engaged in solving local issues in the community, not only could they be developing real solutions that are amazing and outside the box of our adult thinking, but they also are exercising creative problem-solving skills, and they’re learning to become active citizens into their adulthood.”

Gina LaMotte

A current project that exemplifies this is taking place in Colony Park, where EcoRise is working with nonprofit Equidad ATX and architecture firm Gensler to co-design an outdoor space. Students worked with Gensler on the designs, taking into consideration what the community’s needs were from a student’s perspective.

Coming up, EcoRise has a number of exciting projects. Gina mentions that they are excited to launch “youth councils focused on climate equity in San Antonio, Austin, and Atlanta” with the goal of increasing civic engagement at the high school level. They are also working to build out their internships and green jobseeking programs to extend their impact beyond the classroom.

Contact:
1023 Springdale Rd. Bldg. 1, Suite J
info@ecorise.org