On The Trail: EngageIRL Spotlight on River City Youth Ops
River City Youth Ops tells kids, “Take a hike.”
The twist? They’re taking kids on said hike– or several hikes, if the rumors are to be believed. In late March, I visited Wilson Faust at Yasuhara Middle School to learn more about one of River City Youth Ops’ budding programs: the Outdoors Club.
Wilson’s official title is Engagement Navigator, but I was so impressed by his patience and clever redirection with the (naturally expressive) group of middle schoolers that ‘Veteran Cat Herder’ would be equally fitting. Before meeting these young scholars, Wilson and I had a chance to chat. It was then that he revealed the philosophy at the core of the Outdoors Club.
The Outdoors Club isn’t just an excuse to sally forth against the treacherous rocks and twisted paths of our local parks and green spaces. Participants learn about things like teamwork, awareness, respect for nature, and clear communication.
“Since COVID, we’ve observed a lag in development in key social skills [for youth],” Wilson explains. Unmitigated exposure to devices and the intense isolation of the pandemic may have affected young minds in ways that educators and parents are only now discovering.
This session of Outdoor Club was coincidentally the last meeting until the program restarts in April. Wilson led the kids in a poster-making activity where students cut out pictures from several of the hikes they had taken together as a group throughout the program. These posters would be shared with adults who had helped lead the group’s hikes alongside Wilson as a way of saying thanks.
One student scoured the table full of pictures for Mark, a hike coordinator, and glued them to a sheet of colored paper. Like any good journalist, I tried to get the scoop on why the student had such admiration for Mark, but the young hiker’s sole focus was on his art. I imagined that Mark would be flattered, though.
Another student explained to me that his favorite hike was on Mt. Spokane. It was a bit long and cold, but snowshoes and teamwork helped the group overcome the challenge. Later, I discovered that Wilson and River City Youth Ops had worked with another outdoor nonprofit, Peak 7 Adventures, to distribute these snowshoes to the students.
Our time concluded with an electric round of playground time: I, the fearless cameraman, ducked and dodged an errant dodgeball time and again while recording Wilson and the kids at work. The objective of the game was to keep the ball in air, and though our ragtag band of explorers was mostly unsuccessful in this, everyone had a great time.
Finally, after all the students left with their families, Wilson and I debriefed.
“I imagine this program being a kind of cumulative experience that kids take with them throughout and beyond all their school years,” he explained. “The skills they learn here could eventually translate into something like an internship with us when they are in high school, helping us care for the community garden and learning valuable skills that will help in their careers.”
Though the Outdoors Club has concluded for now, River City Youth Ops plans to start its next session in April for both returning and new participants. After spending time with the Outdoors Club and Wilson, I am positive that Yasuhara Middle School will be all the better for it.
Samuel McLaughlin is a Program Associate at LaunchNW.