The YUFL program teaches Toronto youth skills in arboriculture, urban forestry and community engagement, which is perfect for someone like myself who is studying forestry. I was looking for a job or program to gain hands-on experience over the summer, and LEAF’s YUFL program was exactly what I was looking for!
My favourite part of the YUFL program was the final group project, where we worked together to lead a public tree tour. As a big tree identification nerd, I found this very exciting. Although I have a lot of textbook knowledge about trees, learning from my fellow participants was incredibly valuable. Each person approached their tree tour from their own perspective: one was a landscaper who explained tree care, another was a carpenter that discussed tree species through a woodworking lens and yet another was a passionate community leader who shared Indigenous connections to certain trees and shrubs. They all brought their own experiences into their presentations, and I learned so much from them.
It was bittersweet when the program ended, but it made me understand just how necessary community engagement and education are within the environmental field. Spending time engaging, talking and socializing in natural spaces adds so much social value to these places and I am now especially attached to the park where I led the tour.
If I were to offer advice to young adults looking to get involved in helping the environment, I’d say start with volunteering. Get engaged in your community. Talk to people who are older and wiser than you. There are so many tree planting and learning events facilitated by LEAF, local parks and conservation authorities across many municipalities. There are people who have been in the industry for years who would love to talk with you about it. If you love trees, that passion is already a great conversation starter and a way to connect with others in the field.
Interested in becoming a Young Urban Forest Leader? Click here to sign-up for an e-mail notification when registration opens for the 2026 program.
Elizabeth Chir is the Naturalization Assistant at LEAF.
This blog is part of a series highlighting YUFL alumni. Read other blogs on the Young Urban Forest Leaders program. The Young Urban Forest Leaders Program is funded in part by the City of Toronto's Urban Forestry Grants and Incentives Program.