2016-Young Stewards Program at Colorado Youth Outdoors

Start Date-End Date: 07/16/2016-07/16/2016 Land Manager Office: Colorado Youth Outdoors Land Manager Contact: Brad Wright Funding Partner: Colorado Youth Outdoors Programmatic Partner: Summary: Take part in a unique and exciting outdoor stewardship program, designed for families with kids ages 6-10. Description: About the Stewardship Site VOC is partnering up with Colorado Youth Outdoors (CYO) to provide a one-of-a-kind adventure for parents and kids! CYO is a Loveland-based nonprofit that focuses on relationships between parents, mentors and youth, through outdoor recreation. They have a beautiful 240-acre property just off I-25, between Windsor and Ft. Collins, where they host a range of activities including fishing, trap shooting, archery, and more. About VOC's Young Stewards Program This project is designed just for families with children ages 6-10. We will spend some time away from the noisy world exploring CYO's lovely property and helping them restore their archery range. After we are done working, we will get a supervised lesson in archery! This project will be a fantastic way to introduce your child to volunteering while enjoying fun outdoor activities and family bonding experiences. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Latitude/Longitude: 40.507865, -104.979891 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 30 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 14 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 16 Total Volunteer Days: 30 Total Unique Volunteers: 30 Total Volunteer Hours: 120 Staff Hours: 0 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: This project took place at Colorado Youth Outdoor's facility. Colorado Youth Outdoors is located in Weld County and is placed on a wonderful piece of land with many lakes and countless activities to get youth connecting with the land and with their peers. 30 volunteers came out to help Brad, the CYO staff member clear brush behind the archery range targets. Each couple families took on a target and with the help of kids from 6-10 cleared out the space surrounding to help in maintaining the grounds of CYO. Everyone worked hard and we got lots done. After volunteering Brad Wright brought out archery materials and every kid got to try and shoot. They all enjoyed seeing their work come to fruition and I believe everyone left feeling invigorated and successful. Successes and Challenges: The group cleared a whole bunch of brush. They used loppers and rakes to clear out a lot of area. The only challenge was the sun. It was extremely hot out. However we had plenty of water and snacks so everyone was able to take as many breaks as needed. Lessons Learned: Many lessons were learned this day for families, but especially kids. Brad discussed the history of CYO and also talked about the importance of stewardship and maintaining the land. Both parents and kids learned from Alli about the tools and how to use them and everyone got to give them a try. The kids liked trying out new tools and finding lost arrows in the brush. Special Notes: CYO was an awesome place for a 100% family volunteer day or overnight trips. Brad was a wonderful host and CYO's land yields itself to manageable work with children and parents leading into time fishing, shooting, or exploring. It would be awesome to continue the relationships with CYO and work with them again. Stewardship Education: CYO focuses a lot on recreation (ex. hiking, fishing, shooting, archery) however Brad began his discussion with the kids about the importance of the land and how their work is helping it thrive. He encouraged everyone to engage with the land and learn about it and how to take care of it. The work we did around the archery targets didn't yield itself to much more education, however we feel more is possible in future times with CYO. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: N/A Description of Accidents/Incidents: N/A Description of Work Completed: