By Hayden Seder
Photo credit: Nosotros United
Children are the future. And if recent local activism is any indication, the children of Blaine County are starting to realize that if they want a future that reflects their values, they need to take action now.
There has been a growing movement of activism among youth of the Valley, which can be seen in several forms, from Ketchum’s new Youth Recreation Leadership Program and Wood River High School’s W.A.T.E.R. (We Appreciate The Earth’s Resources) group, to Wood River High’s Nosotros United (We are united). Here is a look into what each is bringing to the political table.
Raising leaders locally
The City of Ketchum Recreation Department recently announced the launch of its Youth Recreation Leadership Program. The three-week training program is offered to youth between the ages of 12 and 14 to foster leadership, personal growth and development through volunteerism, a specialized curriculum and group collaboration. It will start in June.
After the training period, the program gives opportunity to work as a volunteer for youth recreation supervisors and assistants at the summer youth recreation program for two to five additional weeks. Successful graduates of the program will be invited to return as a paid summer youth recreation assistant the following year.
The program was started by Crystal England, who has worked for the City of Ketchum since November as a youth recreation supervisor.
“When examining the summer youth program, it was evident there was a need for preteen and teen programming,” said England. “Instead of competing with all the adventure opportunities and sports in the Wood River Valley, I decided to create a program that will empower youth by providing free access to leadership skills and support young people’s personal growth.”
The program is designed to be an opportunity for preteens to begin to develop leadership skills and their sense of efficacy—specifically, how much change they might bring about in later years, whether in high school or later in their lifetimes. Some of the benefits of the program, according to England, are:
Fostering future stewards, staff, board members, volunteers, advocates and benefactors
Helping young people gain the skills and knowledge to lead civic engagement, education reform and community organizing activities
Creating a network of hardworking dedicated youth volunteers to support programming and other recreation operations and projects
England has an extensive background in environmental education and implemented a similar program nine years ago in Minnesota, which she said was very successful.
“I feel like implementing a similar program could be a huge benefit for the recreation department and community,” England said.
W.A.T.E.R. makes a big splash
Before the March 18 Hailey Town Hall meeting, one may not have heard of W.A.T.E.R. But after the Wood River High School environmental activist group’s co-president, Abbie Heaphy, made her voice heard, the adults in the room couldn’t stop talking about it. Heaphy called for the creation of a Department of Environmental Health by the city, a department that could focus on increasing the general knowledge of any project’s impact to climate change and on using development practices that align with clean-environment goals.
This is just one of many goals for the club, which is also led by co-president and sister of Heaphy, Britta Heaphy. The club meets once a week and works on projects both within their school and the community to promote positive environmental change. One project they have completed thus far is implementing blue “how-to” recycling signs at all local recycling centers and they have several other projects on the horizon. For instance, the group is currently working on a hand-dryer initiative at the high school.
“The school uses about 6,000 paper towels a day and we are working to alleviate this issue,” Heaphy said. “We want to provide an alternative to this wasteful practice. Our name stands for ‘we appreciate the earth’s resources’ and this not only stands for our name but also our philosophy.”
The group is also gearing up to give out free reusable bags at local grocery stores once a month to bring awareness to the need for reusable bags instead of single-use bags. “We are in the midst of an environmental crisis and as a group we firmly believe there is something we can do,” Heaphy said. “We need to work together as a club, local community, and globe to form innovative solutions to help our environment. Our goal is to preserve the Earth’s resources. And whether giving out reusable bags, speaking at a town hall meeting about need for action or providing environmentally-friendly alternatives to paper towels, we are working toward our goals to better our Earth. This group has enabled us to share our passion with others around us, while inspiring, empowering and educating others on how to preserve our Earth.”
Saying ‘yes’ to Nosotros United
Also present at that same town hall meeting was Wood River High School junior and member of the leadership committee of the Nosostros United club, Amy Aranda. The club is dedicated to bringing together white and Latino students both in school and the community.
At the meeting, Aranda asked city officials and residents to consider developing a multiuse facility where youth could safely hang out, a proposal that seeks to help both the community and the goals of the club. Started in 2017, Nosotros United is made up of 48 members who meet weekly to work toward their mission statement of “promoting the blending of cultures and ambitious dreams for all.”
“As soon as I heard about this club and their intentions, I was immediately intrigued,” Aranda said. “The whole concept that we could bring different cultures together by coordinating events fascinates me and is another step closer to cultural equity.”
Aranda said she believes the club may be the answer to find equanimity in our school and Valley.
“Our goal is to have a diverse group of students become part of our club and involved in community events, where youth can be seen, heard and maintain hope in humanity,” Aranda said.