Climate Corps Leadership Institute (Watsonville Wetlands Watch)
A year-long paid internship for Watsonville high school students that builds climate action leadership through hands-on watershed and wetland work. Interns gain experience in urban forestry, habitat restoration, community science monitoring, and climate justice advocacy in the Pajaro Valley, presented in partnership with local schools.
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Foodwise Teens
A free youth development program from the San Francisco nonprofit Foodwise (formerly CUESA) that trains SFUSD high school students in sustainable food systems through three tracks: Seed (foundational after-school learning), Grow (teen-led projects), and Cultivate (paid summer job placements with mentorship in gardens, kitchens, and farmers markets).
Naturalists in Training (Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History)
A teen volunteer program at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, near Monterey Bay, for students entering grades 9-12. Trainees attend workshops on natural history and coastal ecology, then serve volunteer shifts helping the public and leading nature activities, earning community service hours or a stipend.
Public Health Solutions (PHS) - Contra Costa Health
A training-and-internship model run by Contra Costa Health that teaches youth ages 14-19 from underserved communities the principles of public health, social determinants of health, and health equity, with successful completers matched to paid public health internships.
Enterprise for Youth: Job Readiness Training
A San Francisco nonprofit workshop series that prepares high school students for the workforce through interview practice, resume building, and workplace-readiness training; it serves as the entry point into Enterprise for Youth's paid internship placements, and students earn a completion stipend.
Mosaic Journalism Workshop
Mosaic is a free youth journalism training program based at San Jose State University serving greater San Jose area high school and community college students. It runs an intensive two-week summer workshop covering reporting, writing, photography, videography, and podcasting, plus paid fall/spring internships and boot camps for student newspaper staff.
Woodland Fire Explorer Post 911
A Boy Scouts of America-affiliated Explorer post hosted by the Woodland (CA) Fire Department near Sacramento, teaching high-school-aged youth all aspects of the fire service through hands-on training, mentorship from active firefighters, and community service projects. Meets three times a month at Woodland Fire Station 3.