Youth. Image of a group of youth smiling with arms around each other. Mountains and a blue sky are in the background.

YOUTH PATHWAYS

The Youth Pathways program is a pillar of Groundwork Denver's mission. Year-round, youth and young adults join our team as paid staff. During their time with us, they take stock of their own environmental experiences, engage in building relationships with land and community, and channel their passion by taking direct action towards a healthy, equitable, and sustainable environment.

Environmental injustices are concentrated in certain areas of metro Denver, largely based on race and class. With that top of mind, we focus on hiring youth from the most impacted areas to engage in projects alongside their peers and neighbors. These areas include northwest Aurora, Cole, Commerce City, Elyria-Swansea, Five Points, Globeville, Montbello, Northeast Park Hill, Sheridan, Westwood, and other nearby areas.

Keep reading below for more about our many Youth Pathways.

Green teams. New friends, fun activities, job skills, and local environmental projects. Ideal for ages 14-21.

Groundwork Denver Green Teams are crews of young environmentalists who are paid members of our staff. While with us, they take on projects that improve metro Denver’s urban environment.

Green Teams aim to:

  • Support youth through educational and career success
  • Create space for youth to grow their relationships with community and land
  • Drive positive, local environmental impact for the well-being of all
  • Develop pathways for youth who are impacted by environmental injustices to become leaders in environmental industries and movements
  • Offer advancement opportunities for returning youth to grow their leadership and management skills

Green Teams work on a variety of projects like tending to community gardens, installing rain barrels for neighbors, and engaging their communities in local environmental justice issues.

Promoting personal health and community well-being is also very important to the work that the Green Teams do. Throughout their experience, Green Team members take stock of their own experiences through an environmental justice lens, serve as community champions, develop relationships with the land, get to know their neighbors, and enjoy the wonders of nature.

Offered seasonally, with some Teams operating only in the summer, and some with school-year opportunities.

Ideal for ages 14-17. Leadership opportunities available for returning youth ages 18-21. 

Green Teams currently only has opportunities in: Westwood, Sheridan, NE Park Hill/southern Commerce City, and Montbello/NW Aurora. 

Please use the link at the bottom of this page to learn more about any openings! 

Image of two youth in hardhats, suspended from a tree they are learning to prune. They're smiling and giving thumbs ups. Text says: Grit (urban resilience training) . Field and group learning about environmental career pathways, plus support with landing a long-term job in the industry. Ideal for ages 18-29.

Over the course of two months, young adults in our GRIT Program embody community leadership skills, deepen their relationship with the natural world, learn how to succeed in the workplace, develop urban resilience job skills, and launch their careers. Participants leave with valuable certifications as well as a year of career support.

Program Includes:

  • Environmental career exploration, job seeking, and post-program job support
  • Energy conservation principles and practices
  • Environmental regulations
  • Tree & rain garden training and installation
  • Sustainable urban planning
  • Water quality and conservation
  • Regenerative practices & traditional ecological knowledge
  • Community climate engagement strategies

Offered twice per year, with one cohort in the spring and one in the fall.

Ideal for ages 18-24.

Please use the link at the bottom of this page to learn more about any openings. 

Click Here for Current Youth Job Openings

Last updated 2026