Northwest Youth Corps is about accepting challenge, getting in shape and being outdoors. NYC youth spend five weeks living and working away from towns and electronics, learning to work and live alongside nature. It is a life where boots, sleeping bags, mosquito repellent and dips in icy cold lakes replace the usual comforts of home; five weeks where building a campfire, pitching a tent and cooking in a Dutch Oven becomes second nature.
When I grew up, this would be the summer job to die for! However, here at NYC we are finding it harder and harder each year to find kids willing to get up off the couch and do the hardhat, boots and gloves thing.
Today, we live in a culture teeming with technologies designed to ease every burden and speed every process, from food to work to recreation. At the same time, America's connection with the outdoors is taking a nosedive! Visits to national parks are down, as well as to wilderness areas and Oregon State Parks. Here at NYC, our growing question is: "How do we interest today's youth, so many of whom grow up with no outdoor experiences, spending their summers working and living indoors?"
In the Northwest, we treasure the remarkable quality of life offered by our public lands and easy access to outdoor recreation. However, protecting this heritage depends on it being used and valued by future generations. To quote Robert M. Pyle, "What is the extinction of the condor to a child who has never known the wren?"
The unexpected is nothing new here at NYC. Although the new millennium brought us the challenges of digital lifestyles, childhood obesity and sedentary leisure, we at NYC are working hard to keep our programs compelling, relevant and useful to today's youth. Keep an eye out for exciting changes to our programs and a fresh, new marketing campaign. Everyone here at NYC is working to keep our organization a positive force for youth, today and in the future.
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