Julia Beyer, who co-led the program, noted how far the ambassadors had come from where they began: “It was fantastic to see them come into their own and speak about their work with poise to groups of people they had never met before, which would have been an intimidating task the first week of the program.”

Building Confidence Throughout The Summer

Back in their first week, the Ambassadors had written down what they wanted from the summer. Ava hoped “to grow as a leader by giving the other ambassadors a safe space to be themselves.”

What came in between that moment and their presentations took the Ambassadors across Greater Boston and beyond. They weeded and planted at Nightingale Community Garden and City Natives. They tested water quality on the Mystic River, toured the Massachusetts State House to meet Senator Liz Miranda, and went behind the scenes at the New England Aquarium. At MassAudubon’s Stony Brook Nature Center they surveyed macroinvertebrates, and at GreenRoots’ freight farm they cooked a meal from produce they had harvested themselves. In East Boston Public Library, they ran a community pop-up they had planned from start to finish.

For Amelia, the behind-the-scenes visits were the ones that stayed. “It was inspirational to see all the work that happens in these spaces,” she said. Something else came up again and again in Ambassadors’ reflections. It was learning the history of places, not simply visiting them, that made the connection last.

The night at Crane Beach

In week six, the Ambassadors camped overnight at Crane Beach. They pitched tents, cooked three meals together on camp stoves, kayaked in the marsh, identified phytoplankton with Trustees staff, and made s’mores around a campfire.

Many of them named that night as the most influential part of the program.”We all saw each other at our most vulnerable,” Isa said, “and that’s something that doesn’t happen casually”. For Andrea it was a lesson in stepping outside her comfort zone, one that deepened her appreciation for nature, “especially unseen parts of it.”

What stayed with them

Maria Rodriguez-Ortega, now in her third year leading the program, says the aim is to offer “the variety of experiences and opportunities offered this summer, while still giving the Ambassadors space to bring their own ideas, interests, and voices into the work”. That goal was achieved throughout the summer, as Ambassadors grew and explored their passions.

For Kevin, seven weeks outdoors changed what the city looked like: “Growing up a sickly kid, going on an exploration wasn’t always an option. However over the past seven weeks I’ve gotten to see so many beautiful places.”

Pauletta brought something of her own to the summer. She crocheted the Trustees logo over the course of the program and appreciated “the opportunity to share my crochet skills in a professional setting.”

Lena put it more simply. She got “better at public speaking”, which seven weeks earlier had been hard to face in a room full of strangers.

Congratulations to the Outdoor Ambassadors of summer 2026. We look forward to welcoming back another cohort of Ambassadors in summer 2027.

The Outdoor Ambassadors is a seven-week youth employment and leadership development program that engages nine young people ages 15-18 in hands-on stewardship, environmental education, and community-based learning experiences across Boston and beyond.