Program Descriptions: WYP School Year The purpose of Wilderness Youth Project (WYP) is to mentor children through the process of developing deep, long-lasting, positive relationships with the natural world. Despite the seeming simplicity of this goal, a tremendous amount of thought and practice stand behind our achievements. The majority of our after-school programs are arranged …
Starting with gratitude is a tradition at Wilderness Youth Project. As we begin the summer of 2015, we give thanks for our long term participants. Their stories, in their own words, are the best way to learn about how kids benefit from our programs (turn the page!). Hearing “where they grow from WYP” reminds us …
As a college student, my friends and I would occasionally escape to Lizard’s Mouth, away from Isla Vista’s over stimulation or the library’s constant call. We’d drive the distance, walk a bit until we found a nice rock, and then sit. Although the wind and view left us refreshed and humbled, I always left with …
Along the Gaviota coast there is a tunnel. Passing under the railroad tracks at a 30 degree angle, it exits along a seawall on a secluded beach. At high tide, waves batter the wall and powerfully reflect, converging with incoming waves to create 15 foot high pillars and sheets of spray. For an adventuresome group …
Some kids constantly sweep the ground with their eyes; they are the ones that find all the treasures. Then there are the kids who are constantly stretching the boundaries with their eyes, “Can we go up there?” “Can we just go around the bend?” “Can we follow that trail?” I found myself with the latter …
This past March, The Atlantic stirred the parental pot by publishing, “The Overprotected Kid.” The article details trends in parenting over the last thirty years and goes on to document some of the research regarding those trends, particularly around a child’s sense of risk. The ensuing controversy was likely predictable. Links to the article exploded …
As many of you may realize, the greatness of the natural world can manifest itself in a multitude of ways. Its harmony can relax and cleanse negative tensions, while its unwavering solidity can challenge and even break the strongest of humans. My personal experience has been that the rewards of the former do not come …
When we hold something in our hands, it becomes real. This lesson was etched on me while I was a volunteer in the Channel Islands Naturalist Corps. Years ago, a fellow naturalist was encouraging us all to volunteer for a research trip that was studying seabirds called Xantus’s Murrelets. I asked him why his recommendation …
