Table of Contents

Publisher's Note

Cover Story

Taste Buds

Events Calendar

April 2008

by Stacy NGUYEN

© Copyright 2008 ColorsNW Magazine

Get Outta Town!

Programs introduce youth to great outdoors

Education is most valuable when it fosters passion and purpose in students, when a subject, concept or cause is no longer what they have to learn, but what they want to learn because they are emotionally invested and see its worth.

For some organizations, the great outdoors is the best source to help instill a respect for teamwork, interdependence and nature. The following four youth-outdoor groups strive to draw out students’ enthusiasm and excitement for learning. They all believe that hands-on learning is the most long-lasting.

URBAN WILDERNESS PROJECT
Often people of color don’t imagine themselves as belonging to or enjoying nature. One reason is the lack of images and depictions of people of color outdoors in popular media and culture. There are rarely any people of color in magazine ads for outdoor recreation, for example. Another reason is the negative historical relationships that some people of color have with the land in the United States. The impact and memory of oppression creates a barrier for people to see themselves in the environment.

“Agencies that we empower in our country determine how people are going to use the land and the water,” says Jourdan Keith, founder and director of Seattle-based Urban Wilderness Project. “They determine who has access to the water and land both for recreation purposes and for its resources. These agencies developed during a time of greater civil, social and racial injustice in our country. There are very few, almost none, at the table who are of African, Latino or Asian descent who are making decisions of environment policies that affect us all.”

Keith wanted to create a program that specifically deals with issues people of color may have about being outdoors. It helps them overcome their issues, urges them to enjoy what the environment has to offer and build a community.

One of the outings is a seven-to-10-day backpacking trip that follows seven to 10 days of service learning. Students become “unplugged,” as Keith puts it. They are away from the noise of cars and cell phones, away from technology and away from running water. In the environment, they learn to weigh the impact of their choices, such as where to make a fire. Students carry their gear and food, as well as first aid and portions of their tents.

The Urban Wilderness Project goes to schools and recruits students. Applications are filled and are followed by home visits. Due to language barriers, it is important for parents to understand safety issues. The program deliberately reaches out to schools where the demographic is predominately African American, Latino and Asian, as well as low-income white youth.

“Our goal is designed to help individuals dismantle some of the barriers to seeing themselves as part of the environmental movement,” Keith says, “by dealing with where it comes from.” The Project hopes to give people of color more of a presence in the environment because it believes that if there is more visibility – more people of color seen enjoying nature – then there will be more and more people getting out there.

www.urbanwildernessproject.org/about.htm

SOUND EXPERIENCE
Environmental education is the mission of Sound Experience, which was established in Puget Sound area in 1989. Students sail aboard the Schooner Adventuress, a historic tall ship built in 1913, the same way it was done 94 years ago. It sails between March and October every year, where there are programs for all ages – involving day trips and overnight trips.

A typical voyage involves having students cycle through stations to learn subjects such as plankton and other marine life, conservation, navigation, or the tides and current. Another aspect of the education involves teaching students how to live aboard the ship. The ship serves as a metaphor for the planet. On board, there are limited resources, so students learn the importance of conserving water, composting food waste (all meals are vegetarian) and seeing how everything is interrelated.
Through this process, instructors hope, the experience on the ship will inspire students to adopt a more environmentally conscious mindset in their own lives.

All of Sound Experience’s programs are subsidized by local fundraising. They also rely on the dedication of volunteers, some of whom are crew members on the ship.
“Our current board president first sailed the Adventuress as a Girl Scout,” says Elizabeth Becker, Sound Experience’s resource developer. “Now she is on board of directors. People have deep commitment to this program. It’s wonderful and important to think about the Puget Sound and what an important resource it is for our area. By working together, we can all make a difference and keep the Sound a healthy environment, not only for people but for everything that lives here.”

Sound Experience also works with other organizations to recruit kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity to take advantage of the program. “It’s just a great, great experience for those kids,” Becker says. “It’s supported by grants and donations from individuals. And it can make life-changing difference for some of these kids.”

www.soundexp.org 

SEATTLE INNER CITY OUTINGS
Seattle Inner City Outings (ICO) is an all-volunteer organization founded in 1991 and designed to inspire youth. “You can tell them all about the environment. You can teach them about nature through textbooks. But to really appreciate it, you have to bring students outside into it. Exposing the youth to the environment will have them gain an appreciation for it,” says Jeremy Krebs, a board member.

“Seattle Inner City Outings is actually independent of the Sierra Club, except for the little bit of oversight involving insurance,” says Krebs. That means that all the money needed for the program comes from local fundraising. Every dollar that is donated goes toward taking kids out into the wilderness. The program is based 100 percent on volunteers who work with local schools to plan trips for the students.

ICO uses 10 volunteers per school. Each team is responsible for managing a budget and relationship with a school and running wilderness outings. Typically, there is one outing per month during the school year, consisting of various activities such as horseback riding, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing and rafting.

Each team is allowed make targeted plans for each school, catering to its needs and preferences. What makes ICO unique is that it provides all the logistics for the trips, including transportation, food, lockers and gear. Literally, all the students need is the permission slip.

“We try to work with disadvantaged schools,” Krebs says, “such as schools that have more of a diverse population, who have individuals who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity … We want to enable kids to be kids again on the trips, forget about what issues they are having at home for a while.

“Our purpose is to expose youth to the environment and let them develop their own set of values to it. We hope they develop a love for it. And in the process, become a steward and want to protect the environment in the future.”

www.ico.sierraclub.org/seattle/public/home.aspx

SALISH SEA EXPEDITIONS
Salish Sea Expeditions, set up in 1996, believes that getting kids involved in the design of their education makes them more invested in the results. Instead of having the teacher tell the student what they should be interested in, the Bainbridge Island-based nonprofit and gives students the opportunity to be scientists, to take control of their learning.

Each outing starts in the classroom. Students are asked to think about what they’re curious about, what questions they have about the environment, why some things occur in nature. They are then guided towards building a research plan. Data is gathered over the course of a three-to-five-day trip aboard a 61-foot sailboat. After they return to land, they record their findings in a scientific journal.

“All good outdoor education has a teamwork and leadership component,” Executive Director Stephen Streufert says. “With this group is the wonderful shared adventure of sailing. It takes a team to sail the boat. The role that sometimes happens in classes – people are often identified, labeled. When you’re out on the boat with your peers, because the environment has changed, you have the opportunity to see your peers in a new light.”

At least 75 percent of Salish’s curriculum is in the public school system. In addition, with consciousness about the fact that public schools are not all funded equally, the organization also made a commitment three years ago to have a low-income initiative.

“I’m excited about science,” Streufert says. “I’m excited about kids getting invested in the health of Puget Sound, giving students the means to get charged with their own learning. If a student goes through this experience and realizes how much they learn and apply this aspect to other things – that would be a success to me, to have students be lifelong learners. I think so many of went through school pretending we’re a cup and letting teachers pour stuff into it. If we can make this shift within all our students and all out teachers – what effect would this be on our populace?”
www.salish.org 