Perhaps most importantly, our TAG youths have developed a “Membership Board,” where active members assume roles such as Teen Leader, Adventure Planner and Recruiter. It has been refreshing for CRPD staff to see how our teenagers’ growing involvement and participation in this unique opportunity has imbued each member with a sense of responsibility to the program, the environment and each other. Through their commitment and willingness to learn, they have already retained invaluable leadership skills and a sense of great purpose that will foster future growth and help facilitate their personal, educational and career goals.

In a short amount of time this program has been, not only fun and educational (for everyone involved!), but impactful and full of meaning. Additionally, it is important to mention the social-emotional learning and comradery built within the group. Most of the youth who have joined did not know each other prior to joining and many were shy or reserved. As they have gone on more and more adventures together, we have witnessed them build friendships, come out of their shells, and learn to work through disagreements and the small inevitable conflicts that arise. We have also witnessed them learning to work with members of the group who are neurodivergent and display some behavioral issues, leading to growth and understanding from all parties. The levels of social-emotional learning, conflict resolution, and friendships being built are fantastic to watch and the collective mentorship from staff and parent volunteers is visibly making a difference.

This past year, we have partnered with two phenomenal organizations, including Bike Lab, a Rancho Cordova non-profit organization with a goal of educating local youth on the joys of riding bikes, bike safety and bike maintenance. Moreover, in the spirit of health and adventure, Bike Lab aims to get kids (that may not typically have the opportunity) outdoors and moving.

We are also working with our local Soil Born Farm Urban Agricultural Project (SBF). SBF looks to create urban agriculture and education projects that empower youth and adults to discover and participate in a local food system that encourages healthy living, nurtures the environment, and grows a sustainable community We look forward to continued collaboration with our partners throughout the course of this program and have several upcoming workshops and excursions this summer.

In June, we had an all-day trip to China Camp Park, where our teens and families hiked the park and explored the environment around McNear’s Beach. July was a fantastic month, we once again worked with Bike Lab on our five-day TAG summer camp, which included local community service opportunities, environmental stewardship and education, bike rides to unique destinations (e.g., Nimbus Fish Hatchery) and a full day dedicated to personal reflection and mindfulness.

Additionally, we have a community volunteer creek clean-up planned for Cordova Creek, located in CRPD’s Hagan Community Park. TAG has worked together with SBF staff to facilitate the cleanup and beautification of an important local water source. This event was originally planned for “Creek Week” 2023; unfortunately, we had to reschedule due to safety concerns, of which have since been removed. We were able to reschedule to the beginning of November 2023 and it was a very successful river clean-up. Our TAG members collected almost an entire large truck bed of garbage from the creek! We look forward to our next creek clean-up with SBF scheduled for early next year.

The greatest tips we have found are to be consistent and provide some form of programing every month including at least one meeting and one outdoor program. This consistency has proven to the community that this is a serious program that is available to them. The other key we found was to provide a wide variety of activities from camping and hikes to climbing and boating, there is something for everyone. Our main struggle in the beginning was recruiting more members however after some tabling events at local schools, community events and posting fliers within the community our numbers have grown significantly in the last couple of months.