The Sierra Sustainability Summit is a first-of-its-kind advocacy competition in which collegiate speech and debate team students spend three full days in Yosemite National Park where they learn how to apply advocacy skills to water and land management, conservation, public access, environmental justice, and equity. Students tour Yosemite Valley and Wawona with forest rangers and park employees, engaging in experiential learning about how the National Park System can address the increased demand for public access and encourage those who are historically disconnected from their public lands to become connected. This approach aims to attract diverse individuals to Yosemite and other public lands in a way that balances the need to preserve, maintain, and manage these spaces for future generations. Now an award-winning academic program in its second year, the Sierra Sustainability Summit will bring students and faculty to Yosemite National Park for a one-of-a-kind learning experience that demonstrates national, state, and regional parks can partner with colleges and universities as learning sites not only for STEM fields and the arts, but also for students of advocacy, sustainability, and leadership.

Approved