Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful (GC&B) has opened applications for its youth leadership program, the Green Youth Advisory Council (GYAC) class of 2023.
Applications are now being accepted for the program at the website www.GwinnettCB.org.The Green Youth Advisory Council is a distinctive hands-on opportunity for high school students from diverse backgrounds to participate in an environmental and sustainability service-learning and leadership development program. Participants will contribute to and inform Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful on projects that impact local and global environmental challenges while acting as ambassadors and leaders for youth service in their communities. Applications are due by August 29.
Schelly Marlatt, executive director for GC&B, says “Our involvement with Gwinnett County Public Schools is among the most rewarding aspects of the job for me personally. Witnessing in young students their love of the environment and wanting to make a difference for the greater good is refreshing. If you know someone who fits that description, we’d love for you to recommend that they apply for our Green Youth Advisory Council.”
Zimmerman and Jung
During the 2021-2022, Green Youth Advisory Council members comprised students from 11 different Gwinnett County high schools .Thanks to the GC&B Jim Steele Environmental Education Scholarship Fund through the Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia, the nonprofit awarded $2,000 scholarships to two of its graduating GYAC members. This year’s scholarship recipients are Logan Zimmerman who will be studying Environmental Science at College of Coastal Georgia and Daniel Jung who will be studying Mathematics/Computer Science at Princeton University.
“Our 2022 class will be a tough act to follow,” adds Marlatt. “They created an awesome ‘Recycling Simplified’ awareness video, participated in many of our community events, brainstormed ideas for potential new programs and initiatives, and so much more. They were a great group of students, and we hope those who didn’t graduate will join us again for GYAC Class of 2023. As always, we’re excited to see what the next crew will bring to the table!”
Here are ways to enjoy a vacation, while relieving stress
The summer season is synonymous with vacationing. People travel all over the world to soak in sunshine and splash in salt water. But what kind of vacations are best to recuperate? Dr. David Ludden, associate professor of psychology at Georgia Gwinnett College, boils down the science.
Ludden
“People need vacations to de-stress, but not all vacations are created equal,” says Ludden. One type of break he advises against is the “goal-oriented vacation.” Such vacation breaks are filled with one destination or activity after another, with little downtime for relaxation.
“The more relaxed vacation is better for your health. Going somewhere for a few days, sitting back, and taking in some sunshine and scenery do a world of good for your mental wellness.”
Ludden maintains that stress is an important factor in human life. It’s important as a safety measure, but allowing it to fester without treatment can lead to anxiety, insomnia and depression. Vacations are a primary way to work on releasing some of that pent-up stress.
“There’s this scientific philosophy called ‘biophilia’ which explains that humans love and want to be in nature,” Ludden says. “That doesn’t necessarily mean we all want to go live in a jungle, but it does mean that some of the more traditional styles of vacationing, like camping or traveling to state parks, are usually better for people looking to unwind.”
Those options conveniently also limit the campers’ abilities to work in the wilderness, which is something Ludden also points to for people not feeling relaxed after a beach trip. “It’s important to leave the source of stress out of the vacation. Working from the hotel room isn’t a good idea if you’re trying to relax.”
One of the things people do right, however, is involve the whole family. Vacations are an excellent opportunity for families to reaffirm their bonds and relationships, and it doesn’t require a Disney trip every year. Renting a cabin in the mountains or making a day trip to a lake are all healthy and relatively cheap ways to involve the family.
“This isn’t something unique to America,” feels Ludden. “Americans get roughly a third of the average time off than people in European countries. Europeans actually travel more than Americans, and I think a large part of that is because of their average of six weeks off versus our two.” Europeans are able to do those “goal-oriented” trips because they have enough time to be present in the countries or cities for a few days, rather than making a city-by-city trip of one day each.
Ludden concludes: “Americans deserve to unwind. Camping might not be for everyone, but everyone needs something to help them reset and get new perspectives on matters in their lives.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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