Mid-July for some families, may be reaching the point of counting down the days until the kids go back to school and summer vacation is over.

But for youth enrolled in the LINC program through the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, their 5-week program is rapidly coming to a close. The 20 youth were strangers to each other when they first met 4 weeks ago but the group quickly bonded and will graduate from the program this coming Thursday.

LINC, short for Linking Individuals to their Natural Community, is a summer internship program for high school students based in the Golden Gate National Parks. During this five week long program, students assist with service projects, gain career and leadership skills, and take field trips to special park sites such as Alcatraz and Muir Woods. Projects and activities vary by week and include trail work, plant propagation, and habitat restoration. In addition, students will get the opportunity to learn more about ecology and science. The 2017 summer began with a 4-day camping trip to Point Reyes National Seashore, during which participants will support a service project, engage in team building, explore the sites, and take an 8 mile hike.

One big pile of sleeping bags and overnight supplies. Photo by Shelagh Fritz

The group arrived this past Friday on Alcatraz, sleeping bags in hand, to do a service project in the gardens and to spend the night on the island. The news of the extra perk of having an overnight was only shared with them this past week by their group leader, Elsa. When Elsa broke the news to them of spending the night, the room was in shock, like ‘wait, what?’, then erupted in cheers and jumping up and down.

How to handle 20 excited teenagers at once?

How many students can fit in a bucket?

Lots of planning! One of the goals of LINC is to teach the kids responsibility and help build their resumes and experiences. With that, for each outing they have had, two or three students are elected as the ‘lead’ and are responsible for checklists to ensure a smooth program. For this trip, students had to help with the grocery shopping, make sure everyone had a lunch packed, load the vans with equipment, depart on time, help load the equipment onto the ferry and assist when asked. They all now have an appreciation for the organization that goes into hosting an event.

Getting the job done!

Their garden job on Alcatraz was to hand cut our native grass lawn and to cut back ivy that was growing onto the main roadway. Working together, the youth tackled both jobs eagerly.

Gathering together for a BBQ dinner and a closing circle as the sun set was a perfect way to end the day. Throughout the program, students share their life stories and, as a guest sitting amongst them, I got a glimpse that this program is more than just building a resume – this group of youth have built a circle trust and unconditional friendship and felt very secure with sharing the toughest parts of their lives with each other.

Campfire and s’mores.

After a campfire and s’mores, everyone found a spot on the floor to sleep in the cellhouse, and, like any teenagers, were told to go to sleep around 1:30am. What they have to talk about after being together for weeks, I don’t know?

One noisy slumber party.

Congratulations to all who of the youth who have completed this course and for those interested in next year’s program, here is the link: http://www.parksconservancy.org/learn/youth/leadership/linc.html

The program can also be a stepping stone for youth interested in a career in the Park Service or an environmental path. Many of the graduates go on to be a Park intern at one of the Park Sites and continue to explore careers in the outdoors.