Friday, July 1 was the last day of the final immersive week session of our new Youth Environmental Leadership Camp (YELC)! Wow! What an amazing experience it was, for the campers AND for Splash staff! Splash conducted three of these immersive one-week sessions back-to-back, accommodating a total of 30 campers during this pilot season. A different group of 10 campers attended each one-week camp session, Monday through Friday from 8:30am-5:30pm. Each day, we took field trips to local sites for hands-on, guided experiences related to climate change and air quality, energy and transportation, water, food / waste / consumption, land use and natural habitats.
Check out this short video showing the campers have a blast learning and just being kids! Then read on to learn and see more about the experience.
This is not the end of the line for these campers! Up next, they will be working on a climate-smart project with a mentor for the next several months! These projects, which will benefit their local communities, will help the campers learn useful life skills, such as project management, budgeting, preparing a grant proposal, public speaking, and project implementation.
Each day, the eager and inquisitive 6th and 7th graders engaged with professional scientists, engineers, and others working in environmental protection activities. The campers got to sample and collect data and use many of the tools and materials that scientists and engineers use in their daily work. Our goal for this camp was to introduce the campers to the many environmental issues related to climate change, as well as the hundreds of related careers that are waiting for them! Each of these young scientists has the potential to develop the next great innovation to solve some of our many environmental problems!
We just wanted to plant some seeds in these kids, and we’re excited to see what blossoms over time! Each day of the camp was a great mix of fun and educational field trips, hands-on activities related to the theme of the day, and plenty of time for the kids to be kids, such as swimming and splashing in the American River and Super Soaker battles in the Splash parking lot!
Some of the science activities the campers enjoyed over the course of their week-long session included:
- Using portable monitoring devices to record the air quality at each of our field trips sites
- Visiting a dairy that generates electricity from cow poop
- Using solar cells to make vibrating solar “bugs” to play “Bumper Bugs”
- Making solar ovens and using them to cook s’mores for a lunchtime dessert
- Operating scientific instruments to measure water quality parameters in a local creek
- Conducting bioassessments of a local creek restoration site by collecting aquatic invertebrates and fish
- Learning about fluvial geomorphology (Yes, the campers know what it is!) and creek restoration by playing with a stream table
- Touring behind-the-scenes of Regional San’s huge wastewater treatment plant, including their lab
- Discovering composting and vermiculture
- Role-playing as planning commissioners, making tough choices about where and how development happens in our communities
- Appreciating the value of open space, for wildlife and humans alike, on several hikes
We are thankful to the many partners that have helped us make this free program a huge success! They include the City of Rancho Cordova, SMUD, Regional San, Paratransit, Westervelt Ecological Services, CBEC Eco Engineering, Soil Born Farms, CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, Raley’s, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, Stillwater Sciences, Maas Energy Works, Van Warmerdam Dairy, Republic Services, Teichert, Sacramento Tree Foundation, and more. We are truly grateful!
Here’s what some of the parents told us:
What an experience! My son got to go places he would never have a chance to see without
Cathleen Stoffel
this program. We loved hearing each night about the things he learned and saw. We can’t wait
for our daughter to be old enough to come. We’ve told all our friends they have to sign up
their kids next year.”
What an amazing program. My son got to travel around the greater Sacramento area for 5
Kristina Simpson
days and learn about the environment with his own eyes and hands on learning. The staff was
fun, caring and my son felt safe during the whole program. Thank you ALL and keep up the
good work. My son is better for having experienced this program with you.”
Here’s what some of the kids had to say:
I really loved this camp. It didn’t want it to end! Thank you to everyone for making it such a
great week!”
This camp is amazing! I really enjoyed it! It was a lot of fun, and the guides are really helpful
and enjoyable to us!”
I had fun and I learned a lot. I liked going on all of the field trips. My favorite one was the
creek. We got to take home lots of things like hand sanitizer, sun glasses, movie tickets, a
backpack, seeds, and my favorite one was the oak tree. I’m going to plant it in my yard!”