Showcasing the Power of Collaboration
Nonprofit partnership between SNJ and Sierra Health Foundation expands outdoor educational opportunities at Plumas County camp.
An exciting new partnership between Sierra Health Foundation and Sierra Nevada Journeys will provide state-of-the-art experiential education opportunities for students in California and Nevada. The joint venture – centered at Sierra Health’s Grizzly Creek Ranch camp in the Eastern Sierra – will empower students and special-needs groups to explore the natural world, develop leadership skills, and learn about green and renewable technologies.
The partnership showcases the power of collaboration with two organizations that are passionate about transforming education for this generation of students. In a time of increasing educational focus on standards, these out-of-school experiences re-energize the instructional system and provide math and literacy education through the lens of science and the outdoors.
The partnership is supported by a $223,000 grant from Sierra Health Foundation that will enable Sierra Nevada Journeys to build organizational capacity as it moves into full-time management of the camp facility, which is expected to begin in January 2010. Existing user groups will continue to be served with camp programming, although they will notice an improvement in the quality and breadth of that programming.
“Sierra Health Foundation is excited about the opportunity to combine youth development, science education and environmental stewardship in a program that promotes health and well-being by fostering an active lifestyle and appreciation of the outdoors,” said Sierra Health Foundation President and CEO Chet Hewitt.
“This partnership is powerful for expanding kids’ opportunities to learn about and appreciate our beautiful natural areas,” added Sierra Nevada Journeys Executive Director Jonathan Mueller. “It empowers students and participants to learn about the incredible natural community around them so they can better relate to it, understand it, and want to conserve it for future generations.”
Ninety-four percent of students who participated in Sierra Nevada Journeys programs at Grizzly Creek Ranch in 2008 reported that “science is more fun than expected.” After taking part in four days of engaging instruction, 88 percent of those students could identify one or more of their personal values and day-to-day choices they made that related to the environment.
The programs are designed to engage students in a variety of hands-on, kinesthetic activities that make learning fun. Students at the camp can “unplug” from the indoors and plug into the outdoors. Not only will those students want to conserve those outdoor places for future generations, they may grow up to be the next generation of scientists who will tackle some of our world’s most pressing environmental issues.
One local teacher said her “students were constantly engaged, participating and learning … [in] a well-managed, positive learning environment that ties in fun, standards and teamwork.”
“I got to be outdoors with my friends, which is fun. I wish this time could last longer” said Chelsea, a 5th-grade student participating in an overnight field-study. Another student, Desi, reported, “I forgot about TV after the first hour.”
Camp programs will resume the week of April 27, 2009, and continue through October. Media and others are welcome to visit to see programs in action. Please schedule visits with the below-listed contacts.
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Grizzly Creek Ranch is a project of Sierra Health Foundation. Located in Plumas County, the camp was designed to provide challenge and leadership opportunities in an environment that is modern, fully accessible, safe and fun. The camp was founded with a mission to improve the health, independence and life skills of children.
Sierra Health Foundation is a private philanthropy investing in and serving as a catalyst for ideas, partnerships and programs that improve health and quality of life in Northern California through convening, educating and strategic grantmaking. For more information about Sierra Health and its programs, visit www.sierrahealth.org.
Sierra Nevada Journeys, a Nevada and California nonprofit corporation, is a leading provider of experiential education in the western United States. The organization offers outdoor, leadership and science education to students in a variety of formats, from residential programming to in-school lessons and after-school programs. Founded in 2006, it empowers more than 3,000 students each year through its programs. More information on the partnership and on SNJ is available at www.sierranevadajourneys.org.
Katy Pasini
kpasini@sierrahealth.org
(916) 922-4755 x3304
Jonathan Mueller
jonathan@sierranevadajourneys.org
(775) 560-3345
