Audubon Center at Debs Park is looking for high school sophomores to seniors who are curious and passionate about the world around them to join our Audubon Youth Leaders (AYL) program. We seek students who are open to new experiences, working with a diverse and collaborative team, and making a difference in their community and their natural world. At the culmination of their program, students will earn a California Naturalist certification along with an Educational Award for their time and dedication.

Dates: July 12 - August 6, 2026, Mondays to Thursdays, 8:30AM to 1:30PM with one additional Friday evening

There is a $600 Educational Award for completing the program that will be distributed at the end of the program. 

Delivery Mode: In-Person

Contact: Chelsea Abrahamian, Senior Education Coordinator (323)-221-2255 ext. 113 or debspark@audubon.org

Applications are due April 27th at 3:30PM PST.

Audubon Youth Leaders Program Website

Organization Description: The Audubon Center’s mission is to inspire people to experience, understand and care for the local natural world.

In addition to restoring habitat for birds and other wildlife at Debs Park and along the L.A. River, the Center’s primary goal is restoring the connection between people and the land in Los Angeles. As the first center that Audubon built within an urban environment to specifically engage the Latino community, the Audubon Center at Debs Park has played an important role in building a more diverse and inclusive conservation movement here in Los Angeles and beyond. Community engagement lies at the core of the Center’s values and programming. In its holistic, people-focused, approach to conservation work, the Audubon Center at Debs Park serves as a community hub for environmental justice and advocacy work in Los Angeles and across the Audubon network.

Additionally, as the first LEED Platinum certified building in the country at the time of its construction in 2003, the Audubon Center at Debs Park prioritizes sustainability. The building serves as a further tool to educate and engage the community about sustainable buildings and green infrastructure.

The Center is operated by Audubon California, a state field program of National Audubon Society. Read more about the National Audubon Society here!