ROOTS OF SUCCESS
Environmental Literacy & Work Readiness CurriculumAn empowering educational program that prepares youth and adults for environmental careers and to improve conditions in their communities.
Used in a wide range of educational and workforce settings that include: schools, youth programs, apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, job training programs, reentry programs, prisons, jails, juvenile facilities, government agencies, community-based organizations, environmental justice and environmental organizations.
Our Mission
Improving social and economic opportunities and outcomes for youth and adults from underserved communities
How It Works
Roots of Success is a multimedia, activity-based curriculum that is facilitated by an instructor and taught in a classroom setting. The curriculum is composed of ten modules and can be taught as a stand-alone course or integrated into an existing program or curriculum.
Programs use Roots of Success because our teaching approach and materials immediately engage individuals who have struggled in school and have barriers to employment and are directly relevant to people who come from low-income communities. Our curriculum strengthens academic and professional skills, increases environmental literacy, focuses on 125 careers that can provide individuals and their families with economic security, and inspires individuals to become activists and leaders who can improve conditions in their communities and in society more broadly.
The Curriculum

The Training

The Guidebook

Teaching Method
Inspired by the popular education model, our teaching method engages students, makes learning relevant, builds on previous knowledge and experiences, and connects what students are learning in the classroom to real-world issues. The curriculum uses intensive student engagement, integrated multimedia, and group activities to stimulate students’ intellectual curiosity and ignite their interest in the subject matter because the conversation speaks directly to the students experiences and is relevant to their everyday lives and concerns.
The curriculum design and delivery system actively engage students in the learning process. The curriculum works well for students with different learning styles (kinesthetic, visual, audial) and from diverse backgrounds.
Curriculum Walk Through
Inside the Classroom
Testimonies from inmates "Behind the Wall"
The strength and impact of Roots of Success comes from how it delivers information – it is not simply given to students as if they are open vessels ready to bank information, but as people who learn better when they engage with the material, see and hear content that is relevant to their lives and sparks conversation and are encouraged to learn from one another.
Academic Objectives
Each module is structured to address 6 key areas:
Environmental Literacy
Academic Skills
Work Readiness and Career Pathways
Leadership Development
Financially Literacy
Social Entrepreneurship
Implementation
Key Features
- Used in education, workforce, correctional facility, and reentry settings
- Materials are flexible, adaptable, affordable, easy to use
- Teaching method and materials immediately engage students
- Prepares students to understand and address society’s most pressing environmental and environmental justice problems
- Connects education to employment
- Prepares students for over 125+ environmental jobs and career pathways
- Graduates receive an industry relevant certification
- Students can receive up to 6 units of college credit in some settings
- Fundamentals
- Water
- Waste
- Transportation
- Energy
- Building
- Health, Food & Agriculture
- Community Organizing & Leadership
- Financial Literacy & Social Entrepreneurship
- Application & Practice
Where We Are
There are certified Roots of Success instructors in 36 U.S. states and three countries.Impact
%
More prepared for job interviews
%
Better understanding of environmental problems and solutions
%
Improved basic academic skills
%
More interested in community engagement
%
Increased professional vocabulary
%
Would recommend class to others
%
More knowledgeable on green careers
%
Will share what they learn with others
Stories From Our Programs
Programs are teaching the curriculum in different ways to meet their unique goals. Read about their work here.Testimonials
Roots of Success is helping us educate offenders about the importance of conserving resources in our facility. In the last year, we’ve reduced our trash bill from $95,000 to $5,000. It is also helping us to prepare offenders for reintegration and employment.
Roots of Success is the missing ingredient in the green collar jobs landscape: an accessible curriculum that helps people break the cycle of poverty by providing needed job and academic skills while empowering them to improve environmental and public health conditions in their communities.
We are standing on the verge of a new economy and we need to think about who this economy will include, and who it will exclude. The green economy is strong enough to lift people out of poverty, but only if the people who need jobs the most receive training and support for good green jobs.
Contact Us
Interested in scheduling a training, reviewing a sample the curriculum, or simply learning more about how Roots of Success could make an impact on your classroom, reach out to us via email below.