Blue Team Recognized by the New York State Outdoor Education Association

Two of CURB’s former Blue Team high school interns were featured in a Youth Panel organized by the New York State Outdoor Education Association’s (NYSOEA) Annual Conference.

The panel was organized by NYSOEA’s Equity, Access, and Inclusion committee. Vivian Navarrete and Leila Simmons were joined by youth from Groundwork Hudson Valley, Kingston YMCA Farm Project, and Kite’s Nest in a discussion about their experiences working in environmental education, what they learned, what’s important to them, and how their experiences impacted their lives.

Vivian shared, “The Blue Team experience helped my confidence. A few years ago I never would have imagined speaking about my experience in a room full of professionals.”

Leila reflected, “Being on Blue Team helped me think about localized ways of taking action about environmental justice issues and supporting my community directly. Sometimes we learn about these issues very broadly and it can be daunting to think about how I can do something about it.”

Ishika Joshi, our Sarah Lawrence College intern who mentored the Blue Team, attended the conference to support the youth panel. Ishika also received the Julian Smith Student Award that recognizes “a deserving undergraduate or graduate student who has shown a commitment to outdoor education through study, leadership, volunteer work and seasonal employment”.

Established in 1968, NYSOEA is a New York State non-profit, all-volunteer organization supporting outdoor and environmental education, outdoor recreation, and interpretive services. Members make up a broad network of students and professionals working and learning together, from classroom teachers and college professors to naturalists and interpreters, and from students and youth leaders to parents and outdoor recreation specialists. CURB has been an affiliate member for several years.