YES 2018-19 Annual Report
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2018-19 ANNUAL REPORT 20 years of nurturing change-makers and outdoor leaders Outdoor Adventures FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dear Friends, St. Dorothy’s Rest American River Just as it has been for 20 years, when you join YES CYO Camp today, you become part of a family. For participants, time spent in nature alongside trusted peers and staff lets them be their genuine, best selves, and opens Tomales Bay their hearts to discovery and possibility. Our partners, funders, staff, and long-time volunteers nourish our family tree by helping to ensure access to high-quality programs that provide these positive experiences for Point Reyes National Seashore youth and families. Martinez Regional Shoreline Point Pinole Regional Park Black Diamond YES’s unique, holistic approach – supporting the whole Mines Regional Wildcat Canyon Regional Park Preserve child, engaging the whole family – is central to the Nicholl Park success we’ve had over the course of two decades, Richmond Greenway Kennedy Grove Regional Park Alvarado and creates multi-generational impact. The young Regional Park Briones Regional Park Richmond Marina people who joined our family over a decade ago are China Camp Miller Knox Regional Shoreline the leaders of today. Fourteen YES youth successfully Tilden Park graduated from high school in 2019, and then spent Cragmont Sibley Volcanic their summer in advanced leadership positions and Point Bonita Rock Park Regional Preserve Sierra Nevada jobs that took them across the state and to new countries. Adults in our new Adult Leadership Pathway Crab Cove Redwoods Regional Park completed a six-month leadership program, and “The trips I went on were are now training a new group of leaders to become Lake Chabot fun-filled, with opportunities empowered agents for change. to learn... [they] helped me We are dedicated to supporting and nurturing the discover myself, and how members of this YES family on their journeys as resilient, earth-connected leaders. I’m grateful to the I feel for the environment community that makes our work thrive, and honored to Coyote Hills Regional Park wouldn’t be the same without share the impact of our work with you in these pages. Sincerely, Camp Days, Day Trips, YES. I even made my family Richmond Rangers stop using plastic straws Summer Camp because I told them how bad Backpacking Trips those hurt the ocean and the Eric Aaholm Kayak Trips, Rafting sea turtles. Even though it Executive Director Trips Family Camp, was just my family, we are Winter Camp OVY Camp Adult Leadership already making a difference.” YMCA Camp Jones Gulch Retreats —Jocelyn Mountain Bike Trips YMCA Camp Loma Mar Channel Islands National Park OUR ENGAGED COMMUNITY WINTER CAMP: TEEN LEADERS IN ACTION This year, YES engaged 573 underrep- resented youth and adults from Rich- YES’s three-day Winter Camp was a mond and surrounding West Contra deeply impactful, mid-year gathering Costa County through over 100 days of for 40 youth of all ages. They hiked programming. Our holistic, whole-family the blustery Marin coast, laughed approach and strong relationship-building through team-building activities, gained practices served as the foundation for knowledge during health and wellness activities ranging from public speaking activities led by YES teens, and joined to- workshops to wilderness backpacking gether in music-making. Youngsters were trips, all empowering Richmond youth, riveted by both the content and their teen adults, and families to lead healthy, role models. Camper favorites included connected lives; motivate change in their “getting to see the Golden Gate bridge”, neighborhoods; and inspire a safe, thriv- “the night hike”, “memories made in the ing community. dorm” and, simply put, “the Nature.” NEW COASTAL CONSERVATION ADULT LEADERSHIP CORPS FUNDED PATHWAY LAUNCH New, pivotal funding from the California Coastal YES launched our new Adult Leadership Commission WHALE TAIL Grants Program and Pathway to empower underrepresented California State Coastal Conservancy deepened Richmond residents to improve communi- our emphasis on conservation and environmen- ty conditions. During the six-month Adult tal justice. Through YES’s new “Coastal Conser- Leaders cohort, participants of diverse vation Corps,” teens convene regularly to learn backgrounds and ages examined social about coastal conservation issues and prepare injustices, built meaningful relationships for trips to Monterey Bay, Limantour Beach, and support systems, learned organizing Bolinas Lagoon, and more! Grant-supported principles, identified their strengths as partnerships with conservation agencies will leaders, and developed the skills to make provide opportunities for teens to explore new change for themselves and their communi- habitats, conduct hands-on conservation sci- ty. Graduates progressed into the Fellows ence, and train to educate peers and families. cohort to deepen their skills, and will help teach this year’s incoming Leaders. TEACHING SPANISH, TRAILBLAZERS FOR EQUITY & INCLUSION STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY IN THE OUTDOORS YES nurtured the strengths of Richmond Who belongs in nature? We all do! YES is at the forefront of residents, who realized long-held dreams the movement for equity and inclusion for underrepresented as a result. Four Adult Leadership Pro- youth and families in the outdoors. This year we took our Highlights & Accomplishments gram participants met a community need efforts and expertise to the 2019 Children & Nature Network for connection across language barriers International Conference. Alongside conference founder between Latinx and African-American Richard Louv and other environmental leaders, YES Executive families by planning and teaching a Director Eric Aaholm and Program Director Blanca Hernández series of interactive Spanish classes for led workshops and served as panelists, sharing our program Richmond parents. The Leaders facili- models, values, relationship-building approach, and cultural tated laughter and learning over food, relevancy practices, as well as a call-to-action to nurture and music, and board games like ¡Lotería! empower the next generation of environmental leaders and The project will continue in 2020. decision-makers. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NATURE “When you’re Immersing Youth outdoors, it’s in Nature usually quiet. When you’re in ES forged connections to nature for over 250 the nature, at Yunderrepresented youth ages 8 to 18 through our Youth Leadership Pathway. During residential, nature- ease, you feel like based Summer Camps, connection to nature began amidst supportive peers and adults. Through a partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District, adolescent Richmond you’ve let off a Rangers participants engaged in a ten-month program of hikes, canoe adventures, and hands-on nature education. big burden.” Teens in our Camp-to-Community (C2C) program spent over — YES youth, age 12 25 days immersed in nature. C2C teens also engaged in year- round mentorship, job and academic goal-setting, and peer education addressing community health and environmental justice. At our Winter Camp and Family Camps, activities led by YES participants, staff, and dedicated volunteers provided opportunities to deepen connections – to each other and to the earth. “I gained a lot of knowledge about forests and 91% 95% animals and leg Increase in comfort with Percentage of Camp- muscles.” the outdoors as a result to-Community teens of Summer Camp, Winter spending more time — Richmond Rangers Camp, and Camp Days outdoors independently programming. because of their participant, age 11 engagement with YES. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITIES “Leadership means to Empowering Resilient, me that there’s always Earth-Connected Leaders someone watching me who’s younger than me, that wants to do what ES’s Youth and Adult Leadership Pathways train participants I’m doing. So I have to do Yas leaders in the outdoors, and empower them to help shape what’s right, to lead by their environments into healthy, thriving communities. example for them.” In 2016, a friend invited Tajzhane to a meeting of YES’s Youth Engagement Team, where she found supportive, accepting peers — Tajzhane, YES Teen Leader and adults. Now, Tajzhane is first on every sign-up list, from Winter and Camp Counselor Camp to rock climbing, to the Mountain Bike Club and beyond. This year, Tajzhane reached a milestone on her leadership journey, gaining leadership and environmental education experience, by working all summer as a Camp Counselor. Cindy joined YES’s Adult Leaders Program to address the disparities she saw in access to healthy food and educational opportunities. When parents in a local school identified a communication gap between Spanish-speaking and English- speaking families, she and three fellow Adult Leaders created “Through this program, and led weekly Spanish classes in a fun, welcoming environment, I definitely gained more bringing neighbors together and building community. public speaking skills, communication skills, and doing it effectively. I implemented my public speaking skills by teaching 97% 85% 65% Spanish to adults – it pushed me to talk and Increase in clarity Percentage of YES teens Increase in confidence of purpose by Adult who gained leadership leading projects and work with a big audience.” Leadership Program skills that they can apply working with peers by participants. in their daily lives as a Adult Leadership Program — Cindy, Adult Leaders Graduate result of the Camp-to- graduates. and Fellows Participant Community program. TWO DECADES OF MEMORIES AND MILESTONES Financial Our Donors Celebrating 20 Years of YES Statement YES extends our great gratitude to the hundreds of individual donors and the volunteers and partners ince 1999, YES has brought the wonder and power of nature into the lives of thousands of youth that make our work possible. Sand families, and supported hundreds of teens and adults to step forward as leaders. REVENUE & SUPPORT As we celebrate these 20 years, we are grateful to the many partners, donors, volunteers, staff, and participants who make our work possible, guide and support us, and make up the “YES family tree.” FOUNDATION AND East Bay Audiologists Evergreen Painting Reminisce with us at www.yesfamilies.org/20.