Roots of Success is an empowering and comprehensive environmental literacy and job readiness curriculum composed of nine modules that is designed to support a variety of education, workforce training and community-based programs that serve adults. The curriculum is dedicated to ensuring that the people and communities disproportionately impacted by environmental problems have the skills and knowledge needed to access economic opportunities in the green economy. It does this by helping participants understand complex environmental problems and solutions and, by familiarizing them with a wide range of jobs and career pathways in multiple sectors of the green economy and strengthening professional skills – like public speaking, working in teams, resume writing, interviewing, research, etc. – which participants need to be competitive in the labor market.
What sets Roots of Success apart from other environmental and job training curricula is our focus on simultaneously increasing environmental literacy, strengthening academic skills, preparing people to work in the green economy, and inspiring them to improve environmental conditions.
“Roots for Success is robust yet streamlined, and delivered in a way that accommodates different learning styles. Upon graduating, students have a network of supportive peers and a solid footing of environmental knowledge and job skills training. I’m satisfied that Roots of Success can succeed in educating and training students to participate in building a green economy.”
–Ellen Wilkinson, Roots of Success Instructor, San Mateo Green Jobs Academy, San Mateo, California
“Roots of Success is an incredible educational tool. You can see it in students’ eyes and faces as the information affirms what they already know and connects it to the national and global context. I have now used Roots of Success with three different groups of students and each time I really am in awe of the power it has in moving people and effecting social change”
– Gloria Weiss, Roots of Success Instructor, Consortium for Worker Education, New York City, New York
“Roots of Success offers valuable knowledge on getting and obtaining employment. It also showed how we can all do things to addresses environmental issues. This class has made me more aware of what I want out of my life.”
-Student, Asian Neighborhood Design
Programs currently using this version include:
- Advocacy organizations
- Apprenticeship programs
- Colleges and universities
- Community-based organizations
- Environmental organizations
- Green job training programs
- Government agencies and municipalities
- High schools and career technical high schools
- Historically Black Colleges & Universities