Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ethos Pathways?
Ethos Pathways is a youth climate justice organization based in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. We help young people explore purpose, leadership, and future career pathways through climate resilience, mentorship, and real-world experiences rooted in community.
What is The Climate Career Lab?
The Climate Career Lab is Ethos Pathways’ flagship climate fellowship for high school students.
Students explore climate careers, build leadership skills, connect with employers and mentors, and work on real community challenges, all while discovering what comes next for themselves and their communities.
Who can apply?
The Climate Career Lab is designed for Berkshire County high school students, with a focus on supporting young people from environmentally burdened and historically underserved communities. No prior climate, STEM, or leadership experience is required, just curiosity, commitment, and an interest in exploring what’s possible.
Our first cohort is open to Northern Berkshire high school students entering grades 9–11 in Fall 2026.
How are students selected?
Students participate in an application and interview process.
We look for curiosity, leadership potential, creativity, lived experience, and a willingness to engage with community challenges. No prior experience is required.
Do students receive stipends?
Yes. To help make participation accessible, students who fully participate in the program may receive over $3,500 in stipends. Parent/guardian stipends of up to $500 are also available for family engagement activities.
Why climate justice?
Climate change does not affect every community equally.
We believe young people most impacted by environmental and economic challenges deserve direct access to leadership opportunities, mentorship, and careers shaping the future of climate resilience.
What kinds of careers do students explore?
Students are introduced to a wide range of climate-related careers across sectors, including:
Clean energy · Construction trades · Agriculture · Entrepreneurship · Public policy · Education · Communications · Manufacturing · Environmental advocacy · Infrastructure · Sustainability
Our goal isn’t to tell students what path to take, it’s to help them discover what feels meaningful.
Do students need to want a “green job” to participate?
Not at all. One of our core beliefs is that almost every career can play a role in building stronger, more resilient communities, whether you’re interested in healthcare, business, trades, technology, education, design, food systems, or public service.
Climate resilience takes all kinds of people.
What makes this different from a typical internship or after-school program?
Students don’t just learn about careers, they build confidence, relationships, leadership skills, and real-world experience through hands-on projects connected to their own communities.
It’s part fellowship, part leadership experience, and part exploration of what comes next.
What is work-based learning?
Work-based learning means getting out into the real world.
Students participate in employer site visits, mentorship, job shadowing, career panels, internships, and hands-on experiences with organizations and businesses working on climate and community resilience.
What does family engagement look like?
Families are an important part of the experience. Throughout the program, we host workshops, community events, and family-centered activities designed to make climate learning welcoming, accessible, and connected to everyday life.
To help reduce barriers to participation, parents and guardians receive stipends for family engagement activities.
How can schools, employers, or organizations partner with Ethos Pathways?
We partner with schools, employers, nonprofits, and community organizations through mentorship, workshops, sponsorships, career-connected learning, internships, and collaborative programming.
Interested in partnering? Contact us here.
How can I support Ethos Pathways?
You can support our work by becoming a community partner, mentoring students, sponsoring programming, offering work-based learning opportunities, or helping amplify our mission.
Interested in supporting us? Contact us here.
Where is Ethos Pathways based?
Ethos Pathways is based in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, with programming currently focused in Northern Berkshire County and a long-term vision to support young people across the region’s rural and gateway communities.