The GREEN Program is building a sustainability scholarship fund for underserved students

Studying a textbook is the familiar tool in the education toolbox. Actually experiencing the lessons within that textbook is the oft-overlooked method.

Experiential learning is what GREEN Program has been offering students since 2009 — immersive, eight- to 10-day study abroad programs that expose college students to real-world sustainability challenges and how organizations across the world are addressing them (including organizations in Philadelphia).

But traveling to Iceland or Peru costs coin — something many students, especially students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, aren’t able to expend.

GREEN Program wants to change that. That’s why they’re in the process of building a scholarship fund that will make their offerings more accessible to college students who might not have the financial means to even consider applying for their programs.

“We need to start having young leaders exposed to the trends that are happening in sustainability and gain experiences they can draw from,” said Brady Halligan, GREEN’s director of strategic partnerships and enrollment. “Experiential education is the way students will be learning in the future. To me, this program and scholarship really provide opportunities for access for students that wouldn’t normally be able to get this.”

Creating an associated nonprofit is one way a for-profit venture can create additional impact.

GREEN has found a founding fiscal partner in frequent collaborator Sustainability Nexus, and Halligan said the org in the process of reaching out to potential local partners interested in jumping on board.

Once everything comes together, scholarship applications will be reviewed on a rolling bimonthly basis.

Want to learn more? GREEN is hosting a career fair soiree (with business pitches from students!) on April 8.

(Shameless plug: Don’t forget to check out our jobs fair, INTER/VIEW, next month as well!)