Creating the Next Generation of Environmentalists

By Samantha Van Gent

Experiencing the great outdoors is an unforgettable, wild, exciting feeling—at any age. I remember spending countless hours as a child in my neighborhood’s open field, playing on my rope swing, and picking flowers. Beach days, hikes, and camping trips were among my favorite pastimes. 

But for too many children these days, nature experiences are constantly interrupted by the world of video games, technology, and a fear of the "unknown." Which raises concerns: who will be the next generation of environmentalists, and who will care to protect our oceans, wild lands, forests, and the health of the planet, if everyone is busy typing, clicking, and staring at the screen?

Many outdoor enthusiasts and advocates believe that in order to inspire appreciation for nature and care for the environment, young people must connect first-hand to nature. In his bestselling book, Last Child in the Woods, author and journalist Richard Louv explains that exposure to nature increases children's creative thinking, stimulates positive childhood growth, and fosters positive environmental ethics and values. By contrast, children who are not introduced to outdoor play are more susceptible to attention disorders, depression, and the most relevant childhood trend, obesity.

"I think if kids are exposed to the outdoors they will develop a relationship with nature, and if they don’t they will develop fear," says Melanie MacInnis, program manager for the Sierra Club's Inner City Outings program. "There is a lot of fear of the unknown."

Inner City Outings Well Represented in This Year's Sierra Club Awards

Anne, crouching in the center, on a hike in the NH White Mountains.

Just for a moment, take your hands off the keyboard and give these two a hearty round of applause.

Anne Monnelly Carroll, a 13-year volunteer with Inner City Outings (ICO) in Boston, and Colin Tysoe, chair of Chicago's ICO program, have been named among this year's recipients of the Sierra Club's annual awards. Their remarkable and tireless work in bringing the outdoors to inner city youth has touched and inspired countless kids.

Colin, center-right in the hat, during a River Day Service trip with McCormick Boys & Girls Club.

Anne Monnelly Carroll has won this year's Madelyn Pyeatt Award, which recognizes a Club member's outstanding work with youth. Under Anne's tenure as chair, the Boston program has networked with several other youth and community groups, and has funded, organized, and led more than 75 trips, involving more than 1,300 kids.

Anne has come a long way since her first ICO experience, when she was working in an office and was invited by friends to partake in a canoe trip.

"I was instantly hooked," Anne recalls. "For most of the kids on the trip, this was their first time in a canoe. I remember worrying that the overcast weather and scattered showers would disappoint the kids, but they were jubilant."

It's Just Another Day at Inner City Outings

What's the best way to get to your fishing hole? Try whitewater rafting.

Thanks in part to the Sierra Club Water Sentinels program and Zebco that donated six fishing poles and reels, the Sierra Club's Inner City Outings (ICO) program and YMCA's Earth Service Corp brought 14 San Francisco middle school girls late last month to Cache Creek, a raucous tributary that feeds into the Sacramento River. None of these girls had ever gone rafting before, so you could imagine the sensation they felt during the nine-mile adventure.

"It is thrilling to take people out to the river for the first time, to see the wonder in their eyes, to watch them go from fear to exuberance and thoughtful appreciation of the river," says trip leader Bill Weinberg, who first rafted in 1979 as part of a Sierra Club Service trip.

The ICO program in total consists of 50 groups, leads 800 outings a year, and touches the lives of 14,000 youth. For many of these kids, rough, urban surroundings are all they know. Many of their peers end up in gangs and struggle in school. During outings, ICO leaders regularly witness kids immediately connect with nature and, as a result, become inspired to get back on the right track.

"I treasure knowing that I've been a small part of changing someone's life, re-directing them from gangs and despair to personal growth and empowerment. It's pretty cool that we can do that while experiencing the joy of being a river guide," Bill says.

Inner City Outings Leader Provides Lessons Beyond the Classroom

Imagine taking more than a dozen fifth-graders on their first camping trip. Now imagine doing that without a car.

That's what Larry Volpe did during his second year of teaching. "I took five trips on my bike to buy all the food," he says. Luckily, soon after that first expedition with his students, he discovered the Sierra Club's Inner City Outings (ICO) program. Larry, a teacher from San Jose, California, has been a 12-year volunteer with ICO, which coordinates more than 800 annual trips for thousands of young people -- many are at-risk youth -- from cities across the country. Since starting in the program, Larry has led about one trip a month.

But Larry's students do more than just visit parks, and their learning experiences goes beyond the textbook. Entering his classroom is like walking into a nature museum: pine cones, antlers, "jars and jars of specimens," an aquarium of bugs and dragonflies. When they aren't inside, Larry and his students are working on the school garden.

Inner City Outings Brings Kids Back on the Right Trail

Most lovers of the outdoors can recollect when the seeds of their passion for hiking, camping, and exploring were planted.

College student Lilia Salas, for example, credits her fifth grade teacher, a Sierra Club volunteer who included students on outdoor excursions. Her teacher was known for letting insects like dragonflies and beetles freely roam the classroom.

"That was the reason I wanted to keep going with it and get into wildlife," says Lilia, who grew up in a neighborhood where many kids fall into trouble and don't make it past high school.

Lilia is now a volunteer with Sierra Club's Inner City Outings (ICO) program, which consists of 50 groups and coordinates more than 800 annual trips for thousands of young people -- mostly at-risk youth more familiar with urban settings than the natural world.

Lilia has discovered what many ICO leaders have known for a few years now: Nature can provide direction and a sense of purpose for young people who've fallen off track. She has directly seen this as a mentor to younger trip-goers. One girl in particular felt "really lost." Lilia, who was involved in school sports, told her about being on the wrestling team.

"She liked the way I talked about it," says Lilia. "A month later she tried out for the wrestling team at her school and she kept with it. She's going to start next year in high school on the freshmen team."

Kids regularly connect with each other during trips, and some reflect on issues they're having back home, says Melanie MacInnis, Sierra Club's Inner City Outings program manager.

"All the time you hear a kid say, 'Gosh, I didn't know you can have so much fun outside,'" Mel says. "And several times a year you hear kids who say they want to become a park ranger, or a natural scientist or biologist who wants to study plants. We know we make an impact whether it's something small or something that's life changing. That's what we aim to do -- to change lives."

Despite all the outdoor places she's explored, Lilia's favorite spot is near her San Jose, California home on a trail adjacent to a lake -- "even though it's man-made."

"I've ran into a boar there -- or maybe it was a hog. We run into all these animals. I don't get close because I don't want to scare them away because it's already nice to see them. It's my favorite spot because it's full of scenery and really calm."

Lilia is studying natural science and law enforcement. She is thinking of becoming a parole officer and she wants to continue as a mentor.

"I like to help kids who are lost and help them find options instead of them feeling like they can't go anywhere else," Lilia says. "Not only do you make an impact on them, they make you learn about yourself as well."

-- Brian Foley

Once on the Wrong Path, This Inner City Outings Leader Meets Obama

When Arturo Cervantes was a teenager growing up in a rough neighborhood in the San Francisco Bay Area, he joined a gang, got expelled from school, and landed in jail. He never could have imagined that one day he would be invited to the White House and have the chance to shake hands with the president of the United States. But in February, that's exactly where he was, as he listened to President Obama introduce America's Great Outdoors, a major conservation and recreation initiative for our public lands. One of the initiative's chief goals is to get more families and kids outside and into parks.

So how did Arturo, now 21, get from Point A to Point B? A turning point in his life came during his first rafting trip in 2008 through a school program. While cruising the Merced River, his raft flipped over.

Arturo's reaction? "Let's do that again!"