Episode Six: “Getting My Hands Dirty”
Duration: 17:24 | June 3, 2025
In Episode 6, “Getting My Hands Dirty” we meet Mikayla and Dwayne, two students from Louisiana (LA) Green Corps, a community training organization that equips young adults (ages 18-35) for careers that improve the health of their communities and protect the environment.
Through hands-on projects and job training, LA Green Corps helps students build real-world skills while becoming confident, capable contributors to the growing green workforce. Mikayla and Dwayne share how the program has shaped their career goals, rekindled their sense of purpose, and shown them how meaningful work can make a difference, especially in neighborhoods that have often been overlooked or overburdened by pollution and disinvestment.
Executive Director Ryan Mattingly joins them, sharing how LA Green Corps is helping young people turn passion into purpose and preparing them for jobs that benefit both people and the planet. Together, they reflect on the power of getting your hands dirty and what it means to build a career that supports healthier, stronger communities for everyone.
Why It Matters: Preparing Young People to Protect Their Communities
and the Planet
- Green jobs are growing. Careers that protect the environment—such as wind turbine technicians and solar panel installers—are projected to grow significantly by 2030, creating new opportunities for young people to build purpose-driven careers.
- Environmental harm isn’t experienced equally. Black communities are 1.6 times more likely than the general U.S. population in the Southeast to experience a 1-in-100-year flooding event—a level of flooding so severe it has only a 1% chance of occurring each year. These risks often overlap with neighborhoods that have been historically underinvested in.
- Climate change threatens mobility and stability. According to McKinsey, extreme weather events—such as hurricanes, flooding, and heat waves—put Black Americans’ health, housing and economic security at greater risk, especially in communities already facing racial and economic disparities.
- Young leaders are stepping up. Across the country, young people are working to ensure all communities—no matter their ZIP code—have clean air, safe water, and healthy places to live.
- Programs like Louisiana Green Corps are part of the solution. Through hands-on training and real-world experience, they’re preparing the next generation of workers who are not only job-ready—but also committed to building safer, stronger communities for everyone.
Digging Deeper: Reflection Questions
- How important is a supportive community to your personal or professional growth? What does that support look like?
- What skills have you gained from past jobs or experiences that still influence you today?
- Was there a moment in Dwayne or Makayla’s story that really resonated with you? Why did it stand out?
- In what ways can young people like Dwayne and Makayla help build a greener, healthier New Orleans?
- How do Dwayne and Makayla’s stories challenge common stereotypes about “green jobs” or workforce training programs?
- Before listening, what came to mind when you thought of a green career? Has your perspective changed?
Learn More
Grantee Spotlight
Louisiana Green Corps is a community training organization that trains young adults for careers in green infrastructure, conservation and construction. The program, founded immediately after Hurricane Katrina, helps students find sustainable solutions to combat racial and environmental injustice. Louisiana (LA) Green Corps students graduate as successful contributing members to the workforce in emerging green industries. LA Green Corps aims to serve the larger community and actively participate in the solutions for racial and environmental justice.