Reflections from Soul Trak 2025 Environmental Leaders Fellows – October 2025

We’re excited to spotlight the contributions of our 2025 Environmental Leadership Fellows: Dede, Ayanna, and Jahmal — each of whom has brought care, creativity, and commitment to our work this season. From event support to community engagement, their leadership has helped bring our mission to life in meaningful ways.

This month, the Fellows took the lead on their very own Environmental Leadership Initiative, where they were responsible for designing, planning, and implementing a Soul Trak program of their choice. Their initiatives demonstrated the thoughtfulness, collaboration, and leadership development that this fellowship is all about.

Read below for reflections from our Environmental Leadership Fellows on this month’s programming:

Program Implementation

Reflected by Ayanna Lynch

What does it take to create a Soul Trak event? I found out over the last few months, as me and the other Environmental Fellows were tasked with planning a fall event for Soul Trak. The first step is brainstorming. We got together and bounced around a few ideas based on the feedback we have heard as fellows, skills we’ve learned throughout the fellowship, and our individual passions.

I was surprised by how complex the many different challenges were for planning an outdoor event. We had to consider permits, for example, and accessibility of the location since we are aiming to serve Wards 7 and 8 primarily — and many people in the city may not have access to a car for a long drive.

We ultimately decided on a foraging hike as a play on “trick or treating” for Halloween. This also worked well with an annual event that was started last year with a costumed Halloween hike, so we ended up combining the two. We had the pleasure of coordinating with local forager @silk_the_farmer, also known as Candise Jordan from Farm-Forage-Feast, who led the foraging hike. We decided to host the event at the George Washington Carver Trail by the Anacostia Community Museum.

Behind the scenes, we spent the next few weeks creating a run of show, a plant identification sheet, and assigned volunteer roles. We also designed decorations to add a spooky ambiance (and help people stay on trail). Ultimately, the event went well and was a great day to build community with attendees of all ages.

I personally learned so much about the local plants and “weeds” that I tend to overlook, and it was a good reminder to be present, curious, and take time to look even closer at nature in the DMV. Overall, I realized just how much care and intention go into every Soul Trak event, which made me appreciate even more how effortless the ones I attended before becoming a Fellow seemed.

Photos by Jahmal Clemmons and Dede Lawal