Zeke Zeff – Getting Youth Outside with Northwest Youth Corps
February 14, 2024Growing up, I was always an outdoor kid and did Youth Crew as a kid on the East Coast, and it was kind of addictive. That pushed me to work in recreation and outreach. Over time, I realized what really inspires me about outdoor recreation are the people involved. I joined the Northwest Youth Corps, where I’m now the member services coordinator, to get more people engaged. It is pretty amazing what our members can do.
The programs we offer for high school students are Youth Community and Youth Camping. Both programs work on similar conservation projects, like repairing existing trails, building new trails or structures, cleaning up natural areas and removing invasive plants. The difference is that the Youth Community is open to youths ages 15-18 and it is a day only program. Members meet Monday through Friday and return to their own homes at the end of the day. The Youth Camping program, on the other hand, consists of five-week backcountry trips where you join a crew of eight or nine other people ages 16 to 18.
I really want to hype up the Youth Camping program. By joining a Youth Camping crew, members get to live in totally different environments and travel to different places in Oregon, like Mount Hood, Crater Lake, or Steens Mountain. This is a fantastic way to get outside, meet a group of people with shared interests, and get skill development. Members on camping crews also have some pretty unique experiences in addition to exploring amazing areas. One group, for example, found a lost dog that they were able to care for until they found a good shelter for it.
As long as you are interested and you’re willing to challenge yourself, we don’t care whether you have ever been camping before or have spent much time outside. We regularly have people join who haven’t had much experience outside the city and learn everything, get good at it, and end up having a great time. These programs are a great way to build confidence. I’ve helped members through the onboarding process who were pretty uncertain and shy, who came back five weeks later outgoing and very much a part of their group. I am proud of the professional development and job skills that we provide, but also the personal development.
We don't need a resume for youth programs, but we ask applicants to submit a short application, including four short answer questions. They don't need to be long, but they should reveal where people are coming from. I also would recommend that interested students or families reach out to me directly because if you're ages 16 to 18, know the parameters, and you're interested or you want to learn more, we want you and we will get you through that application process. Our application is at www.nwyouthcorps.org.
As long as you are interested and you’re willing to challenge yourself, we don’t care whether you have ever been camping before or have spent much time outside. We regularly have people join who haven’t had much experience outside the city and learn everything, get good at it, and end up having a great time. These programs are a great way to build confidence. I’ve helped members through the onboarding process who were pretty uncertain and shy, who came back five weeks later outgoing and very much a part of their group. I am proud of the professional development and job skills that we provide, but also the personal development.
We don't need a resume for youth programs, but we ask applicants to submit a short application, including four short answer questions. They don't need to be long, but they should reveal where people are coming from. I also would recommend that interested students or families reach out to me directly because if you're ages 16 to 18, know the parameters, and you're interested or you want to learn more, we want you and we will get you through that application process. Our application is at www.nwyouthcorps.org.