What do we do?

The San Juan Islands Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) provides conservation and stewardship programs for youth ages 12-18. Our cornerstone summer program runs for 8 weeks June-August, with a 10 -15 person crew led by 2 adult field guides per island on Orcas, Lopez, and San Juan Island. 

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What will crew members be doing throughout the summer program? 

Youth will work closely with program staff, conservation professionals, and partner education programs on stewardship/restoration projects, inquiry-based experiential outdoor education, and professional development. In doing so, YCC members gain applied job skills and training that can help propel them into their future.​

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The program looks to provide a range of skills and knowledge for crew members that includes weekly educational themes during the summer program:

• Team building & anti-bullying (training week)

• Sense of place

• Localized food systems

• Land management ethics

• Marine ecosystems & nearshore environments

• Endangered species preservation

• Forest & fire ecology

• Art & environmentalism 

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Daily activities can include: forest stand mapping, Traditional Ecological Knowledge of native plants, and wildfire risk reduction, wetland and riparian zone recovery, invasive weed removal, and trail building/brushing.

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What will students gain from YCC? 

Whether interested in the summer program, or one of our year-round offerings, YCC is an excellent resource for kids and families living in the San Juan Islands. The YCC is an opportunity for youth to not only spend time outdoors learning about local conservation and stewardship efforts, but actually improving wilderness areas across the islands. Our program is dedicated to establishing an ethic of care and stewardship among youth while also providing mentorship and professional development training from local environmental professionals.

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By the end of each season every crew develops a sense of pride and accomplishment, knowing not only that they have grown and changed themselves, but that they have contributed in important ways to their community and to the environment. Students receive a financial stipend at the season to celebrate and thank them for their hard work.