Youth Sustainability Internships and Volunteer Opportunities

Youth Corps

• Age: 18-25
• Location: Pescadero, at Pie Ranch and/or Cascade Ranch
• Opportunity: Paid
• Duration: 11 weeks (late September - mid December)  
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Fieldwork, Environmental Education, Community Engagement, Sustainable Agriculture 

Teen Docent Program 

• Age: 14-18 
• Location: Palo Alto EcoCenter
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: 1 year 
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Education, Community Engagement

Climate Corps 

• Age: College, Graduate 
• Location: In person, Various sites across the U.S.
• Opportunity: Paid through Stipend
• Duration: 10 months
• Focus/Skills: Climate Solutions, Community Engagement, Leadership, Professional Development 

California Youth Climate Policy Leadership Program

• Age: High School 
• Location: Remote
• Opportunity: Paid through Stipend
• Duration: 7 months
• Focus/Skills: Advocacy, Climate Solutions, Community Engagement, Environmental Education, Leadership

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space 

• Age: Young Adult
• Location: Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Fieldwork, Community Engagement, Environmental Education

Peninsula Food Runners

• Age: 18+ (under 18 with parent)
• Location: Across the Bay Area
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Advocacy, Community Engagement, Food Security

CityTrees

• Age: 18+ 
• Location: Redwood City
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Fieldwork, Community Engagement, Urban Greening

CuriOdyssey

• Age: High School 
• Location: San Mateo
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Education, Community Engagement, Leadership, Wildlife Care, Natural Sciences

Volunteer Stewardship 

• Age: Any 
• Location: San Mateo County
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Fieldwork, Community Engagement

Each Green Corner

• Age: Any
• Location: San Mateo County
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Fieldwork, Community Engagement, Environmental Education

Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

• Age: Young Adult
• Location: Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties 
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Community Engagement, Advocacy, Environmental Education

Save the Bay

• Age: Any
• Location: Bay Area 
• Opportunity: Paid and Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Fieldwork Community Engagement, Environmental Education

Nuestra Casa

• Age: Any
• Location: East Palo Alto, Mid-Peninsula
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Advocacy, Community Engagement, Environmental Education, Environmental Justice, Policy

Climate Careers

• Age: 15-22
• Location: Bay Area, Stockton
• Opportunity: Paid
• Duration: Summer (June - August) or Fall (August - November) 
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Fieldwork, Community Engagement, Environmental Education, Climate Solutions, Energy

Internships & Fellowships

• Age: College, Graduate
• Location: Worldwide
• Opportunity: Paid
• Duration: Varying 
• Focus/Skills: Climate Solutions, Environmental Fieldwork, Community Engagement

Fellowships

• Age: College, Graduate
• Location: Hybrid, Nationwide
• Opportunity: Paid
• Duration: 8 months, January - September 
• Focus/Skills: Advocacy, Community Engagement, Environmental Education, Policy, Infrastructure, Climate Resilience

Sunrise Movement 

• Age: Young Adult
• Location: Hybrid, Nationwide
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Advocacy, Community Engagement, Environmental Education, Policy

Matter of Trust

• Age: Young Adult
• Location: San Francisco
• Opportunity: Paid and Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Climate Solutions, Community Engagement, Environmental Education, Reusables

Climate Career Corps

• Age: High School 
• Location: San Francisco
• Opportunity: Paid
• Duration: 2 months
• Focus/Skills: Climate Solutions, Community Engagement, Professional Development

Climate Resilient Communities

• Age: Young Adult
• Location: East Palo Alto and Belle Haven
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Education, Community Engagement, Advocacy

Canopy

• Age: Any
• Location: Palo Alto
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Fieldwork, Environmental Education, Community Engagement, Advocacy

Fellowships

• Age: College, Graduate 
• Location: Across California
• Opportunity: Paid through Stipend
• Duration: September - August 
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Fieldwork, Environmental Education, Community Engagement, Advocacy, Climate Solutions

Fellowships 

• Age: College, Graduate 
• Location: Across California
• Opportunity: Paid through Stipend
• Duration: September - July 
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Fieldwork, Environmental Education, Community Engagement, Advocacy, Climate Solutions

Watershed Stewards Program 

• Age: 18-32
• Location: Various Placement Sites within California
• Opportunity: Paid through Stipend
• Duration: October - August
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Fieldwork, Environmental Education

Youth United for Climate Action (YUCA)

• Age: 12-18
• Location: East Palo Alto
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Community Engagement, Advocacy, Leadership

Climate Youth Ambassadors Program  

• Age: High School
• Location: Remote, Across the Bay Area
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Education, Community Engagement, Advocacy

Citizen's Climate Lobby

• Age: Middle School, High School, College, Graduate
• Location: Hybrid, Nationwide
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Advocacy, Policy, Climate Solutions

Bay Area Youth Lobbying Initiative (BAYLI)

• Age: High School
• Location: Hybrid, Across the Bay Area
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Advocacy, Policy, Climate Solutions

Bay Area Youth Climate Summit

• Age: High School
• Location: Hybrid, Across the Bay Area
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Leadership, Community Engagement, Climate Solutions, Advocacy

Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action

• Age: High School
• Location: Hybrid, Across the Bay Area
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Leadership, Community Engagement, Climate Solutions, Advocacy

Youth Climate Action Team (YCATs)

• Age: Middle School, High School
• Location: Hybrid, Across the Bay Area
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Education, Climate Solutions, Advocacy

Naturalist Internship

• Age: Young Adult
• Location: In-Person
• Opportunity: Paid
• Duration: 9 months, September - May
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Education, Leadership, Teaching Strategies

Acterra Student Ambassador Program (ASAP)

• Age: High School
• Location: Hybrid, Across the Bay Area
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: 8 weeks
• Focus/Skills: Environmental Education, Leadership, Community Project

San Francisco Bay Area Urban Green

• Age: High school students and young adults
• Location: Across the Bay Area
• Opportunity: Paid 
• Duration: Year Round 
• Focus/Skills: Climate Solutions, Habitat Restoration, Advocacy, Leadership

Youth Climate Ambassadors

• Age: High School 
• Location: Hybrid, within San Mateo County 
• Opportunity Type: Paid through stipend 
• Duration: 8 months 
• Focus/Skills: Leadership, Climate Solutions, Community Engagement, Capstone Project

Careers in Science (CiS) Internship

• Age: High School 
• Location: California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco) 
• Opportunity: Paid 
• Duration: Multi-year, year-round
• Focus/Skills: Natural Sciences, Fieldwork, Community Engagement, Science Communication

Energy is Everything Internship

• Age: High School Juniors and Seniors
• Location: Remote
• Opportunity: Paid 
• Duration: 10 weeks 
• Focus/Skills: Climate Solutions, Energy, Sustainability

350 Bay Area

• Age: Youth and Young Adults 
• Location: Across the Bay Area
• Opportunity Type: Volunteer 
• Duration: Ongoing
• Focus/Skills: Advocacy, Community Engagement, Energy, Transportation

Youth Advisory Council 

• Age: Ages 15-24 
• Location: Remote, within San Mateo County
• Opportunity: Volunteer  
• Duration: Unspecified
• Focus/Skills: Advocacy, Networking, Leadership, Environmental and Social Sustainability 

Student Opportunities Database

• Age: K-12, College, Graduate
• Location: Various across U.S.
• Opportunity: Paid and Volunteer
• Duration: Varying
• Focus/Skills: Varying

Climate Leaders Fellowship

• Age: High School (age 14-18)
• Location: Remote
• Opportunity: Volunteer
• Duration: 12 weeks
• Focus/Skills: Climate Solutions, Leadership, Capstone Project

Habitat Restoration Internship

• Age: 18+ 
• Location: Various sites in Santa Clara and San Mateo County 
• Opportunity Type: Paid
• Duration: 10 months, September - June
• Focus/Skills: Fieldwork, Conservation, Community Engagement, Restoration

Naturalist Internship

Age: College Student/College Graduate
Location: Various sites in Santa Clara and San Mateo County 
Opportunity: Volunteer
Duration: 9 weeks
Focus/Skills: California Naturalist Certification Program, Conservation, Ecology, Restoration

Youth Stewards Program 

• Age: High School
• Location: Various sites within San Mateo County
• Opportunity Type: Volunteer 
• Duration: Summer 2026
• Focus/Skills: Habitat Conservation, Restoration, Fieldwork