By Grenae Dudley, Ph.D. | President and CEO, The Youth Connection, Inc.
It’s Christmas in July! First of all, The Youth Connection (TYC) would like to thank all of our supporters who contributed to our Global Giving Micro Project, Ticket to Float. Wow, what a way to kick off the summer! Your contributions and support are helping us take over 1,200 urban youth kayaking down the Huron River throughout the summer of 2016. They will learn about the War of 1812, the role of the African Slaves and freed men who served as sailors and who manned cannons. They will test the river for water quality and see the many micro-organisms that live in the water. Also, they will learn about nature and how they have to be stewards to protect our natural resources. During the kayak experience, the youth explorers will kayak past remnants of the original log road that transported troops and supplies from Ohio into Detroit.
However, the impact of your support doesn’t stop there! “I can’t believe I actually got to touch nature,” exclaimed Marshelly, one of our Ticket to Float participants. “All I usually see is dirt and concrete. This was amazing! Everyone should participate so they can really appreciate nature. Thank you so much Youth Connection.”
The Youth Connection recommended a number of our youth to the River Raisin National Battlefield Park Youth Conservation Corp (YCC) and one was selected. Three TYC youth returned this summer as National Park Service Program Guides. Imagine, if you will, urban youth who have had minimal exposure to the great outdoors, despite living in the great lakes state, becoming certified kayakers and serving as interpreters for the National Park Service (NPS)! These youth also received First Aid and CPR certifications. What a way to start this unprecedented program!
Once again, we think the best way for you to know the impact of your support is to hear from the youth who benefited from your generosity. Meet the TYC Ticket to Float Crew: Aubrie, Sydney, Naisha and Maya. “This is like a dream!” says Aubrie, our 15 year old NPS Youth Conservation Corp Member. “I was able to participate in the program last year and was so excited about the experience! I asked the TYC staff how I could be involved…how I could possibly work with the team the next year. I was holding my breath when TYC contacted me to submit my application to become a YCC member with the River Raisin National Battlefield Park, because I knew I was not the only one who applied. When I got the call, I was so excited! This relates to my dream of becoming a marine biologist. I get to teach hundreds of youth about water quality and how to determine if a body of water is healthy. They get to look through microscopes to see the micro-organisms that live in the water. I am also part of a team… a diverse team of boys and girls, of different races and backgrounds. We have to depend on each other to make sure everyone who kayaks with us is safe and enjoys the experience like I did.”
Sydney shared that this was her third year with Ticket to Float as a Park Guide. “I have a Level II Kayak Certification! That is so incredible to me. When I share with my college friends how I spend my summers they are amazed and frankly can’t believe I have this opportunity. I get to help kids from the city experience something they have not before. We bring kids out here who may not have stable housing or transportation and would never have such a unique opportunity. I think I am the best ambassador for sharing with others why The Youth Connection is so awesome!”
“We get to bring kids from foster care and group homes and halfway houses out to Ticket to Float. We pick them up at their agencies and I get to ride the bus out to Hulls Trace with them. Getting youth to leave the challenges they face in the city and for a few hours experience and learn about nature and history is a great way to forget how depressing a city can be,” shared Naisha. “I enjoy teaching the students something they never learned before. Seeing their excitement once they realize they enjoy the experience is what this is all about for me!”
Maya admitted that when she became a Park Guide with the Ticket to Float program she experienced some anxiety and fear because it was an experience she never had before. “I get to make an impact on other people’s lives by talking to them, getting to know them and being able to calm fears on the water because I am able to relate to their fears. It is so important that we educate our youth about our history and give them a hands on experience they won’t get anywhere else.”
Ticket to Float is engaging and transformative and with partners like the River Raisin National Battlefield Park, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, The City of Detroit Recreation Department and to each and every one of our contributors and supporters we continue to make a difference in the lives of the youth that we serve. Even though our Micro Project has come to an end, please continue to support us through our global giving Connecting youth to brighter futures project.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! To all of our supporters and those who have and those who will continue to support our efforts to connect Detroit youth to brighter futures.
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