At Y.E.T.I., young people in South King County get a chance to grow up with the outdoors through joining our school clubs, developing a sense of identity through this community, and giving back to it as they explore their passion for outdoor adventure. Over the last couple of years, we’ve been able to show our youth a wider network of groups that exist for this purpose through partnerships and collaborations like the one Y.E.T.I. has enjoyed with the Washington Alpine Club (W.A.C.).
The W.A.C. has a deep tradition of building community and mentorship around mountain sports for enthusiasts from all walks of life. The last two winter seasons, volunteers from the W.A.C. have hosted Y.E.T.I. groups at their mountain lodge at Snoqualmie Pass and offered Y.E.T.I. free parking spots there on weekends so our youth can access snowshoeing, snowball fights, sledding, and many other magical winter experiences. Peter Horsman and other W.A.C. volunteers even treated a group of Y.E.T.I. high schoolers to a special presentation on mountaineering and climbing Mt Everest, showing these young people just what kind of adventure is possible with a life in the outdoors!
The contributions from the W.A.C. have truly enriched our students’ experience in the snow and helped us make these activities more accessible for the young people we serve. Many middle and high school students had their first ever mountain snow experience with us this year and got to have it without fighting the crowds right on W.A.C. property. In addition to all the winter fun, these young people got to learn about what the W.A.C. is and what kind of resource it can be for them in their lives.
The volunteers for the W.A.C. provide a powerful example of what being part of an outdoor community can look like for someone beyond their school years while building a family and a career. Y.E.T.I. youth can see how fulfilling it can be to join an outdoor club or organization later in life and what it means to participate and give back to that community.
These kinds of partnerships are so impactful for Y.E.T.I. students as they mirror the community building that happens in our school clubs and show a path forward for how a young person can continue after their time with Y.E.T.I. We know that together, the outdoor community can inspire so many more young people to embark on a lifetime of outdoor adventure and foster the next generation of outdoor stewards to care for our natural spaces. Because of this, we are so thankful when groups like the W.A.C. are willing to team up with us and help give these students experiences that will last a lifetime.
