Help 75 Students Become Earth Keepers

Piedmont Wildlife Center has a long history of campers returning as counselors in training, also known as CITs, after years of participation in our programs. It is reassuring for new campers to see the potential they can achieve when they witness a CIT supporting campers and counselors. Eventually, our CITs also become counselors, bringing new ideas to camp and helping us navigate the ever-evolving world around us. In our afterschool programs, we don't have CITs (Counselors in Training). However, the art of mentoring naturally occurs as older students guide brand-new students. This allows them to make a lasting impact on the school before they leave and helps us maintain a strong community of students who also want to positively influence future generations.

In one of our Orange County middle schools, we had three students on the older end of the group. Two of those students moved on to high school, and the third became an eighth grader. Additionally, two sixth graders joined the afterschool program. We started our day at afterschool by discussing what makes a good fire; our veteran students initially wanted to provide all the answers but realized that they should make way for the younger students to answer, as they had never built a fire before. We then proceeded to do our one-match fire test, where a student gets one match to light a candle in a jar to practice patience with a flame. One of the sixth graders attempted to light the match but didn't understand how to ignite it using the friction on the side of the matchbox. The eighth grader explained the technique, and the sixth grader understood.

After the fire activity, we played a game called Otter Steals Fish. This game includes two of our core routines: fox walking and deer ears. Fox walking involves silently distributing weight as you walk from toe to heel, and deer ears involve cupping your ears so you can hear directionally like a deer. In each activity, the eighth grader could apply what he had learned the previous year in our afterschool program to help guide the incoming sixth graders. Our goal is to inspire campers to mentor younger generations. 

Thank you again for your continued support. Resources like GlobalGiving allow us to connect younger generations with nature and foster environmental stewardship. 

Links:

• Orginization's Website