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Volunteering at Trees Atlanta can be a rewarding experience for people of all ages and interests. We have volunteer opportunities year-round for students, but summer opens up a special program for middle and high school students. One of our most impactful opportunities is our summer Junior Intern Program, which connects youth with hands-on environmental stewardship.

What is the Junior Intern Program?

The Junior Intern Program is designed for rising 7th through 12th graders who are passionate about nature and community service. These students commit two weeks of their summer to assist at Junior TreeKeeper Camp where they become fully immersed in camp life by supporting summer camp counselors with daily activities. Junior Interns will build their leadership skills while working with campers.

Junior Interns help camp staff with arts and crafts, outdoor games and hikes, environmental lessons, and supervision of campers on bikes. They gain valuable mentorship experience and develop critical leadership skills and professional skills under the guidance of Trees Atlanta staff, all while earning volunteer service hours and enjoying a fun summer time experience!

Trees Atlanta is accepting applicants for Summer 2025 now. Apply today to set up a fun summer outdoors with Trees Atlanta!

Investing in Youth Leadership

Thanks to funding from Bosch, we added a Youth Mentor Fellow to our summer camp team. This role is focused on elevating the summer experience for our Junior Interns. This means each Junior Intern learns and grows while volunteering with us! Development sessions cover workplace behaviors, leadership skills, green collar job exploration, and other Trees Atlanta programs, ensuring that our Junior Interns earn volunteer hours and practical life skills.

Junior Intern Spotlight: Mariah Woolridge

Starr Whitten, Senior Manager of Youth Education at Trees Atlanta, shares the story of Mariah Woolridge, one of our outstanding Junior Interns:

“Over the years, Mariah has proven herself to be a dedicated volunteer, an enthusiastic youth leader, and an impassioned Atlanta environmentalist. Mariah takes all of the hard parts of being a Junior Intern (hot weather, long days) in stride, and comes to camp every day with a cheerful attitude and always ready to help our campers spend the day learning about and immersing themselves in the urban forest. It is our youth volunteers like Mariah— who pour themselves into so many avenues and opportunities to create a connected and vibrant ecological community—who give me hope that things are looking up in the world.”

But don’t just take our word for it: hear from Mariah herself about her three-year journey as a Junior Intern!

My name is Mariah Woolridge, and I am a sophomore at D.M. Therrell High School in Atlanta, Georgia. I am a member of Girl Scouts, 4-H, Big Brother and Big Sisters, Varsity Basketball, Track, Cross Country, and Softball. My mother attended an Atlanta Public School summer camp interest meeting and came across the Junior Intern program at Trees Atlanta. I fell in love with the opportunity immediately because it would allow me the chance to become a leader while exploring my love for nature. I have now participated in the Junior Intern program for three summers and gained over 200 volunteer hours.

At first, I was nervous about leading younger children during my first summer volunteering, but my mentor, Starr, helped me build confidence. This experience taught me how to set a good example for the children I work with. I learned a lot about identifying different types of trees in the area, and now the campers look to me to answer their questions. 

My favorite memory from my internship was seeing the beautiful murals of the street artwork along the bike paths. I liked how I could stay active by biking throughout this internship, and I enjoyed seeing parts of Atlanta that I had never seen before. It’s such a beautiful city, and I loved experiencing it with all the kids.

I have enjoyed my time exploring nature and teaching children about the ways to preserve our beautiful city. After graduating, I would like to major in agriculture or forestry at the University of Georgia. Whichever path I choose to major in, it will include protecting and educating about nature. This past year, I was able to join the Birds Georgia Urban Ecologist program. I received a scholarship, and I know my participation with Trees Atlanta afforded me the opportunity to be a part of this program. 

We are so excited that Mariah is applying for another Trees Atlanta program this year. She hopes to be a part of the Youth Tree Team, a workforce development program for students interested in community and urban forestry, as well as other green collar professions.

We are always on the lookout for up-and-coming youth leaders! Our Junior Intern Program is a wonderful opportunity for middle and high school students to volunteer their time for a worthy cause, complete any volunteer-based graduation requirements, grow their leadership skills, and learn more about Atlanta’s urban forest. Junior Intern application are open now.

Published: March 18, 2025