Youth Council for National Trails

PNTS Youth Council Conference Call:
October 6, 2009 ~ 10 PM EST

Call Agenda:

1. Identify goals/purpose of council
2. Describe Council Blog as created by Sarah Thayer
3. Establish format of the council (leadership, structure, call frequency etc.)
4. Explore potential options for fulfilling goals of the Council
5. Brainstorming session on how to approach youth involvement
6. Hear updates on Trails Apprentice backgrounds/trails involvement since conference
7. Conclusion

Present on the Call:

• Julia Glad, PNTS Communications Coordinator
• Mitchell Alford
• Dustin Rothenburg
• Johanna Weston
• Annie Fehrenbach
• Christine Chung
• Sarah Thayer

Purpose: Why establish a council?

• Fed agencies, organization partners and PNTS all craving input from youth
• There is no current body of students/youth from around the country to
  share ideas and develop a cohesive vision for youth involvement with the
  National Trails.

Goals of the Youth Council:

• To have a collaboration of youth leaders from different trails organizations to
  share and generate ideas about reaching out to youth nationwide
• To inform and advise the PNTS leadership board and federal agencies about
  youth programming, opportunities, internships, etc.

Council Format tentatively determined:

• Meetings via phone conferences
• Meetings every 4-6 weeks approximately 1 hr
• Further updates, comments, and dialogue on Youth Council Blog
• No established “positions” until further needed by projects/council activities
• Council members take turns recording notes in addition to note taking by
  PNTS Communications facilitation

Brainstorming Session Notes:

• Annie: main goal of Council verified: increase NTS youth involvement
• Dustin: Council could advise on materials/approaches for attracting youth
  volunteers, such as reviewing marketing strategies, brochures, etc
• Dustin: collaboration with Student Conservation Association would be
  helpful; working with SCA leadership and student recruiters could increase
  number of youth positions available on the NTS
• Christine: should be contacting SCA alums for trail events (personal
  experience with a project with the AT – trail restoration chapter of ATC
  and SCA)
• Pairing work teams from different organizations
• Multi-generational, skill development
• Johanna/Annie: Confirmation that SCA have strong and numerous alumni
  groups, good option for bringing more youth to trails events
• Christine: Don’t discount Americorps or State Corps/- National orgs good,
  but state youth corps as well
• Provide contact info for SCA and similar groups to trails orgs,
  including local branches when possible
• Marshall: Other groups of youth also an option (Personal Experience with
  FS working in connection with SCA crew and Prison Crew)
• Trails get extra help
• At risk youth have great opportunity /wilderness therapy
• juvenile prison rehabilitation juvenile- community service with trails organization
• Dustin: also wilderness therapy/ at risk youth – Outward Bound and similar youth organizations

Brainstorming Summary:

• The PNTS should collaborate with the SCA to create additional NTS
  internships in the SCA by working with SCA leadership
• The PNTS can help bring existing groups together by providing contact
  information for local SCA alumni groups to volunteer recruiting/events
  publicity divisions of trail organizations
• The PNTS should attempt to bring multiple youth organizations, including
  the SCA, into the Partnership as partners to further develop
  opportunities and explore additional non-profit/federal youth organizations

Council Member Updates:

• Marshall: Still involved with the FS Visitor Youth Inventories collecting demographic information to evaluate trails where trails traffic coming from, how many people using the facilities campsites, etc. Position is part-time student position – internship. There are a couple other youth interns approximately 3-5 youth positions per district- mostly trail crew positions – not all students but younger generation. To reach these youths by mail or email would be somewhat difficult as their positions are often 100% out in the field, but mailings addressed to their location with their name should go to them. (Perhaps an opening to collaborate with FS to get email contacts of youth in student positions?)
• Johanna: trying to get in contact with California National Coastal Monument to do science work. Also: Juan Bautista de Anza Trail- Johanna would like contact information to get involved
• Sarah: school, senior project – her boss from the summer SCA program in the NPS trying collaborate with Teresa Martinez and SCA
• Christine: trails opportunities not currently imminent due to school; would nonetheless like to be involved in Youth Council
• Annie Fehrenbach: coordinating collaborative trail work with Ian Nelson of the PCTA and Humboldt State University Students Oct 1 as part of ongoing effort to establish connection between PCTA and Humboldt students
• Dustin: Working in with a Youth Education Program in Missoula

The Youth Council was formed from youth attendees at the Partnership for the National Trail System (PNTS) conference on National and Historical Trails in Missoula, Montana.