Sustainability Seminar Series: From Overburdened Communities to Green Careers Inside NJDEP

From Overburdened Communities to Green Careers: Inside NJDEP’s Youth Inclusion Initiative (YII)

How can we make the environmental movement truly inclusive? This seminar spotlights the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Youth Inclusion Initiative (YII) — an award-winning, equity-driven program that connects young people from overburdened communities to hands-on experience in environmental protection and sustainability.

Led by Dr. Vaishali Kushwaha (Stevens Institute of Technology), Vincent Caliguire (NJDEP), and Khalid Mustafa (Stevens Ph.D. candidate), this discussion explores how YII is building pathways to green careers through mentorship, fieldwork, and community partnerships.

In this session, you’ll learn how YII:
🌱 Equips youth ages 16–20 with real-world experience in environmental stewardship.
🤝 Partners with community organizations to expand access and opportunity.
💡 Integrates equity and workforce development into the state’s sustainability agenda.
🌍 Builds the next generation of leaders driving environmental justice and resilience.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Vaishali Kushwaha – Program Manager at the Stevens Center for Sustainability and adjunct instructor at Northeastern University.

Vincent Caliguire – Manager of the Community Collaborative Initiative at NJDEP, leading environmental and economic revitalization in New Jersey’s most impacted cities.

Khalid Mustafa – Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, researching PFAS contamination and sustainable remediation.

🔗 Sustainability Management Master's program: https://www.stevens.edu/program/susta...
🌐 Seminar Series schedule: https://www.stevens.edu/sustainabilit...
🌿 About the Stevens Center for Sustainability: https://www.stevens.edu/scs