Origins
Picture this: a resounding roar reverberates through the night sky as the striker guides the ball past the goalkeeper. It’s midnight, yet the field glows as if the sun had never left. The moon hangs full, brighter than any lamp, and children chase the ball as chants and laughter swell. Under this second sun, in Haiti, Carter Remy first learned that joy and community could live in harmony with nature beneath the open sky.
When he came to the United States, that brilliance dimmed. Midnight no longer invited play, and the outdoors slowly slipped away. Years later, while working with Genesee Land Trust, Carter found himself once again standing among trees, hearing the wind carry secrets through their branches. It was there he rediscovered his own reflection in nature, and from that rediscovery grew a calling: to ensure that every person has the chance to step outside, to breathe deeply, to know themselves in the rhythm of the natural world.
Lost & Found
From leading Rochester teens in workforce development at Genesee Land Trust, to guiding children at Washington Grove through inclusive science lessons, to shaping an environmental justice lens at Rochester Ecology Partners, Carter has honed the art of weaving education, equity, and nature into one tapestry
Thus, The Next Generation And You was born. Each program, each gathering, each experience is not simply taught — it is curated. Like a museum selects works to tell a story, TNG&Y designs experiences where youth, families, organizations, and communities find meaning in the outdoors.
Founding
Most recently, TNG&Y has curated transformative experiences:
At Agape Haven of Abundance, youth learned to observed nature through a bird's eye and wings, through the trees mycelium network, through a pollinators journey and more. Through hands-on, nature-based lessons they learned to see the outdoors not as background, but as teacher.
With the University of Rochester’s Step to College program, students spent a weekend in nature where they hiked, fished, stargazed, practiced yoga, created herbal oils, and journaled under the sky — curations designed to build resilience, reflection, and self-awareness.
At the Educator Respite Retreat, a space for educators to simply breathe, exist, and rejuvenate their energy before the next school year was created. An opportunity to Allow educators to engage in an action project aimed at empowering educators to incorporate nature-based approaches into their lesson plans or curriculum; and some moments to reflect on their past teaching ways, via meaningful discussions, workshops, and activities about teaching methods and their impact on students .
Across Rochester, TNG&Y has partnered with schools and organizations to bring forward programs where gratitude circles, storytelling by firelight, and simple barefoot walks become lessons in belonging, empowerment, and peace.
Projects
TNG&Y'S guiding principles are simple:
Inclusivity in nature — Everyone deserves access to experiences that align with their unique needs and comfort.
Personal growth through connection — Nature nurtures resilience, transformation, and a deeper sense of self.
Flexibility in approach — Every journey outdoors is unique, and so must be the pathways we create.
Principles & core values
What emerges in each program is more than learning; It is transformation. Those who join in TNG&Y’s curated events leave restored, recharged, with gratitude and tools to understand and cater to the self.
The Next Generation And You recognize that in curating these experiences, we are really curating belonging.
And these curations are for all; From tech executives seeking clarity, directors longing for creativity, to doctors in need of stillness, teachers craving renewal, and youth searching for identity. They are for anyone and everyone — because no matter your field, title, or journey, nature holds lessons for you.
Through TNG&Y, curating experiences becomes a practice of restoration, imagination, and connection — reminding us that whether in a classroom, a boardroom, a hospital, or a forest trail, nature holds space for us all.
