Powerful Teen Leaders
The Powerful Teen Leaders (PTL) is a summer youth employment program for Northside teens in Madison, WI. The program serves young people furthest from resources and opportunities and who face systemic barriers to employment. It is a paid employment opportunity the includes workforce experience and readiness training, with a particular focus on future employment in the green jobs economy.
“I enjoyed my time in the program, and learning about people, careers and opportunities. I especially liked the hands-on and engaging parts of the summer. I wish the program could have been longer.” – Kiki, PTL Participant
Student Testimonials
Survey of Participants 2023-2025:
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- 100% of participants strengthened their connection to their community.
- 100% of participants were more interested in green jobs by end of the program
- 100% of participants would be interested in participating in more PTL programs
- 86% of participants were more interested in STEM after completion of the program
– 36 Youth Participants
– 26 On-site experiences
– 3 Years of programming
– $18/hr youth wage
“I love this program and wish to be in it again next year I am more than grateful for being invited again. I want to continue to help our environment because even if nobody cares I still wanna help because yolo and I wanna be useful all my life till the end, and this job has given me so much inspiration and motivation and im so ready for change”
“I really liked learning about different careers that I am interested in for the future. Solar panels are awesome.”
“I’d love to get involved with some local work, like at the Arboretum. I’d never been before, so I had no idea it was that big and important to Madison’s wildlife. Even if they don’t have job openings anytime soon, it would be a great place for me to volunteer and start building experience.”
PTL Experience & Curriculum
Participants engage with a curriculum that includes
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- Employment skills & Leadership training
- Community-building activities
- Science, technology engineering & math (S.T.E.M.)
- Climate change and sustainability
- Financial empowerment
- Natural resources & conservation
- Workshops/certifications – Solar installation college credit, GIS lab, MMSD Work Based Learning Credit, Employability certificate
- Connection with local businesses and more.
This program prepares participants for employment, particularly in the emerging green economy, and connects them to a network of businesses and supports them to be successful.
“My favorite parts of the summer were exploring new job fields and making new relationships.” – Musa, PTL Participant
Community Partners and Sponsors
“ I really appreciated the enthusiasm of the students! They all, in their own ways, were easy to connect with and asked great questions and showed a lot of respect. I was impressed by their leadership skills.” – Maryn, Epic Systems
- Bloomberg Philanthropies – Youth Climate Action Fund
- Boys and Girls Club of Dane County – McKenzie Regional Workforce Center
- Capital Area Regional Planning Commission
- City of Madison Community Development Division
- City of Madison Green Power Program
- City of Madison Stormwater Engineers
- Color in the Outdoors
- Dane County Land and Water
- Dane County Parks
- Dane County Waste and Renewables
- Epic
- Evjue
- Exact Science
- Fleet Services
- Friends of Warner Park
- Groundswell Conservancy
- Holy Wisdom Monastery
- Madison College
- Madison Gas & Electric
- Madison School & Community Recreation
- Operation Fresh Start
- Park Bank
- RENEW
- State Cartographer’s Office
- Summit Credit Union
- Sustain Dane’s Recycle Better
- Troy Gardens
- UW Arboretum
- Virent
- Warner Park Community Recreation Center
Looking to get involved?
Please email Spencer Bierman at spencer@sustaindane.org if:
Participants – Madison youth between the ages of 14 and 18 who are interested in participating in the program.
Sponsors – Help make the PTL program possible.
Host Sites – Provide summer program experiences for Madison youth.
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6.21.2024
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