Patterson Teen Outdoor Experience
Year 1 Annual Report |
Jump to annual report details (2023-2025)| Amount | $625,141 |
| Grantee | City of Patterson |
| Award Year | 2022 |
| Funding Source | General Fund, Outdoor Equity Program |
| Project Type | Program Operation |
| Project Status | In Progress |
Description
Conduct the Patterson Teen Experience for residents at and near the Patterson City Hall in Patterson, CA. This program will include approximately 40 activity days in the community for approximately 1,800 participants and approximately 40 trips to natural areas for approximately 1,800 participants during two years of programming.
Activities in the community will include Explore environment/nature career paths; Plan service-learning volunteer events and trips; Empower young women in outdoor careers; and Conduct local service learning projects.
Trips to natural areas outside of the community will include Water Treatment Plan in Patterson; Yosemite National Park (Hetch Hechy); Frank Reigns Park in Patterson; Pinnacles National Park; Best Friends Pet Resort in Patterson; Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno; San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge; California State University, Stanislaus; San Francisco Bay Area Coast; and East Bay Regional Park District in Castro Valley.
Community Home Base Location
1 Plaza Circle Patterson, CA 95363
| County | Stanislaus |
| Assembly District | AD 22 Juan Alanis (R) |
| Senate District |
SD 04 Marie Alvarado-Gil (R) |
| Congressional District | CD 13 Adam Gray (D) |
Program Goals
Service Learning/Career Pathway/Leadership Opportunities
18 opportunities will be available including participating in Youth Action Commission activities such as river and park clean-ups, meal kit preparations, visits to local senior centers; Youth Leadership Training by California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Office of Community Involvement at San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area in which upon completion participants receive two-year certification; and opportunities to be youth leaders and assist in program development planning, organization, and peer-mentoring
Partnerships
Public Health Advocates – Facilitation of public input meetings and survey distribution.
Promotoras – Facilitation of Spanish-language public input meeting and Spanish-language survey distribution
Youth Action Committee (YAC) – Local teen leadership club that plans volunteer and service-learning events in Patterson
Invest in Me - Focuses on the empowerment of young women in Patterson through volunteer and service-learning activities.
NatureBridge – Facilitation of educational group trips to the San Francisco Bay coastal areas.
Mentoring
The City of Patterson aims to provide youth mentorship opportunities with the assistance of local organizations including Rising Sun, the City’s Recreation Department, Public Works, Audubon Society, and the Outdoor Youth Connection program. The city will select 10 youth who are interested in attending Youth Leadership Training by California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Office of Community Involvement at San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area to receive a two-year certification that enables them to camp using the FamCamp program. Patterson youth who demonstrate interest and commitment to outdoor topics and activities will also be mentored by the Outdoor Recreation Specialist on an individual basis and guided toward careers in natural resource and environmental professions or active involvement in civic environmental decision-making. Youth who successfully complete the first semester of the City’s four semester/two-year Outdoor Equity Program will be encouraged to return the following semester as youth leaders who will assist in program planning and organization, as well as peer-mentoring first-time and junior participants.
Annual Report Details
Programs may span from one year to multi-year, not to exceed four years. The specific length of the program is contained in the description above.
| Category | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth Served | 781 | 433 | 1,214 |
| Days for Activities in the Community | 18 | 25 | 43 |
| Nature Area Trips | 15 | 17 | 32 |
List of Educational Goals Achieved
2023
Each month our participants met with professionals in different roles working in environmental, and natural fields. These meetings took place at both our homebase activities as well as our Nature Area Trips. We spent multiple months exploring climate change and the effects it has on our natural assets and our communities, and how we have the power to impact them through activism, and everyday choices that we make. Many of our Nature Area Trips included local guides and naturalists who were able to lead the group in meaningful conversations and exercises that were related to conservation, climate change, and environmental justice. Working with our partners from Promatores we were able to discuss nature equity and its effects on communities, especially those marginalized and underserved.
2024
Each month our teens met with professionals in different roles working in environmental, and natural fields. These meetings took place at both our homebase activities as well as our Nature Area Trips. We spent multiple months exploring climate change and the effects it has on our natural assets and our communities, and how we have the power to impact them through activism, and everyday choices that we make. Many of our Nature Area Trips included local guides and naturalists who were able to lead the group in meaningful conversations and exercises that were related to conservation, climate change, and environmental justice. Working with our partners from Promotores we were able to discuss nature equity and its effects on communities, especially those marginalized and underserved.
List of Formed Partnerships
2023
Invest in Me – Provided monthly guest speakers and activities focused on Nature and Environmental career paths. Teen Outdoor Participants attended their monthly Empower Hour which focused on women in STEM careers, and young entrepreneurship. Promotores – Provided mental health awareness programming and created team building activities with participants of the program. Promatores also focused on nature equity and its effects on mental health in communities. Youth Action Commission (YAC) – Teen Outdoor Participants worked with Patterson YAC to gain skills in leadership roles and outreach by planning community events and community clean up days which were focused on local ecology, local access to nature, and community beautification projects.
2024
Invest In Me- Provided monthly guest speakers and activities focused on Nature and Environmental career paths. Teen Outdoor Participants attended their monthly Empower Hour which focused on women in STEM careers, and young entrepreneurship. Promotores- Provided mental health awareness programming and created team building activities with participants of the program. Promotoras also focused on nature equity and its effects on mental health in communities. Youth Action Commission (YAC)- Teen Outdoor Participants worked with Patterson YAC to gain skills in leadership roles and outreach by planning community events and community clean up days which were focused on local ecology, local access to nature, and community beautification projects.
Lessons
2023
We noticed a lack of engagement when we had virtual speakers working with our group. We found the teens had a much better time when all activities were in person and had many hands-on and engaging components.
We would also recommend having a clear requirement for the group to continue the program and having a process in place to fill open spots within the program if participants fail to meet the requirements or drop out of the program. At the end of each semester, we offer an overnight trip to either Yosemite of the Marin Headlands as an incentive to the participants to complete the program.
2024
We noticed a lack of engagement when we had virtual speakers working with our group. We found the teens had a much better time when all activities were in person and had many hands-on and engaging components. We would also recommend having a clear requirement for the group to continue the program and having a process in place to fill open spots within the program if participants fail to meet the requirements or drop out of the program. A the end of each semester, we offer an overnight trip to Yosemite of the Marin Headlands as an incentive to the participants to complete the program.
