VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK, MN: Last week a group of twenty one Minnesota high school students explored Voyageurs National Park for their first time through the award-winning National Park Teen Ambassador program.
Since 2012 the National Park Teen Ambassador project has sought to connect youth from all over Minnesota to their National Park through an outdoor experiential learning adventure. The goal is to connect a younger, more diverse audience, especially students who may not have the resources to go camping in the park, and empower them to share their Voyageurs National Park experiences with their communities and schools.
Since it started, over 160 students have completed the program, which focuses on teaching outdoor stewardship and enjoyment, leadership and team building, and environmental career pathways. This year Teen Ambassadors from 15 different Minnesota high schools ranging from the Twin Cities metro area to Grand Marais and Virginia came together for the experience after an application process.
During their five-day paddling and camping trip in the park, students participated in some classic camping experiences: they roasted marshmallows, swatted away mosquitoes, slept in tents, and told scary stories around a campfire.
Beyond building their comfort in the outdoors and having fun, the Ambassadors learned about the many facets of a National Park’s operations. They talked to park scientists about current research projects, were the first members of the public to see some recently-captured footage of wolf pups in their den from the Voyageurs Wolf Project, learned to operate water sampling equipment, and got to question park law enforcement rangers who stopped by their campsite for a visit. They explored Kabetogama Lake by canoe and caught a ride on the park’s tour boat to search out eagle nests and visit the Ellsworth Rock Garden. Each day they spent time just enjoying being outside and reflected on their experiences with campfire discussions.
For most Ambassadors, this experience was a first. But Teen Ambassador Zubeda from Minneapolis knows it won’t be her last:
“One thing I’ll tell my family is how much I’ve learned from this trip, and what I’ve been missing out [on]. Definitely going to go on more camping [trips]."
Teen Ambassador Diana from St. Paul wrote in her application that being in nature gives her “a sense of peace and a sense of being." At the end of the trip, she was excited to tell her parents about the place she had just experienced:
“I will tell them that I got to experience a national park, which was my first time. It’s the only one in Minnesota so it’s really cool that I got to be here."
Ambassadors took the Junior Ranger pledge and, as newly appointed Park Ambassadors, were asked to share their experience with their peers and communities through writing, photography, and video. Later this summer, Teen Ambassadors will reunite for a day of paddling on the Mississippi River and participate in a civic voice workshop to learn about transforming their experiences into advocating to preserve special places like Voyageurs.
“If you can remember your first night camping under the stars or your first time swimming in one of Voyageurs National Park’s lakes, you know how important it is to give a new generation of kids access to these experiences," said Christina Hausman Rhode, executive director of Voyageurs National Park Association. “We are grateful to our members and partners like Nature Valley who are helping us ignite a lifelong love of National Parks with a new generation."
The Teen Ambassador program is managed by Voyageurs National Park Association, the National Park Service, and Wilderness Inquiry. Additional partners include the Voyageurs Wolf Project, National Parks Conservation Association, AmeriCorps VISTA, AVID, and College Possible. The program was free for participants in 2019 because of generous funding from Nature Valley, the National Park Foundation, and members of Voyageurs National Park Association.
“We had a great group of Teen Ambassadors this year," says Lindsay Brandt, AmeriCorps VISTA Community Outreach Coordinator at VNPA. “Watching them make friends, learn about the park, and grow as people during their short trip was nothing short of amazing. We need new environmental leaders like them to ensure that places like Voyageurs are here forever."
About the National Park Service
www.nps.gov
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
About Voyageurs National Park Association
www.voyageurs.org
Voyageurs National Park Association (VNPA) is the official charitable partners of Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. In partnership with the National Park Service, VNPA works to preserve the wild character and unique experience of Voyageurs by funding projects and programs that will sustain it for generations to come.
Tags: voyageurs national park teen ambassadors camping teens voyageurs national park association
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
