New to 4-H? Already a club member? Join YES today!

WHAT:
YES (Youth Enviro Squad) is a 4-H club for grades 8-12 which meets at the Marion County OSU Extension Office on Tuesdays, 9:00am to 4:00pm throughout the summer to participate in natural resource education and forest service land restoration, including daily service-learning projects and group hikes! Lunch and snacks are provided. Wear all-weather gear & bring a personal water bottle, boots or closed-toed shoes, and a good attitude. This is a rain-or-shine 4-H Youth Development day-camp series.

TO REGISTER:
To participate, register for the following dates by emailing kelly.noack@oregonstate.edu a FULL week in advance. All participants must complete 4-H paperwork and become 4-H members to participate. This program is First Come, First Serve. A follow-up email will include instructions for program participation. Students may register for all, some, or one of the event days - Each event is limited to 9 students unless stated otherwise. Feel free to contact us for additional questions or concerns regarding youth accommodations/needs.

WHY?
Do you love being outdoors? Do you want to make a difference for the environment? Looking to do something new this summer? Then this is the day-camp for you! Register for all OR some of the dates starting July 17th through August 28th. Registration must be made a minimum of a FULL week in advance and parent signatures on waivers are MANDATORY.

This program is targeted toward youths who may never have had the opportunity to interact much with nature, or who may never have considered a college experience or career based on environmental opportunities. Even living in relatively rural Marion or Linn counties doesn't guarantee exposure to camping, hiking, skiing, fishing, or other experiences with mountains, rivers and fields.

Along those lines, some mid-valley students thinking about college may believe it's out of reach — or that the only opportunities for study are traditional paths such as law, medicine or education. Oregon in particular is rich in environmental possibilities, and many career paths can be found through forestry, fisheries, geology and oceanography.

The idea is to open doors to kids who normally wouldn't see this coming. They have no idea of the multitude of paths they can take. ... We want to open their eyes to that.

Participating youths will have a chance to take field trips to natural habitat areas, meet environmental professionals, make meals outdoors, educate the public, experience outdoor and survival techniques and work on science projects with Oregon State University professional faculty & trained 4-H volunteers.