With the days getting shorter and Labor Day in the rear view, young people are zipping up their backpacks and heading back to school for another exciting academic year! That means Y.E.T.I. staff came back together after a summer of adventure to continue our goal of getting young people outside with a full staff training, community outreach events, and restarting our afterschool and weekend adventures. Come take a look at all the fun Y.E.T.I. is having as we kick off this school year!
Staff Training
Y.E.T.I. staff came together for a full week of back to school staff training. Many of our staff are returning for another school year so it was more of a reunion than a first time meeting! Our activities for the week included visiting local trip venues like Seahurst park, Saltwater State Park, and North SeaTac park. Staff previewed these venues while sharing their favorite games and activities with each other in an effort to continue building all of our instructional toolboxes!
Later in the week, we visited some of our more remote venues such as Franklin Falls. We practiced the process for a more involved weekend trip and even brushed up on our Wilderness Medicine by running through a practice medical scenario on our hike.
Our small but mighty Y.E.T.I. crew shared smiles and laughs all week as we bonded as a team and built stoke for all the awesome outdoor experiences we’ll have this coming school year!
Community Outreach Events
The Y.E.T.I. team hit the ground running by tabling at school lunches to spread the word about our programs and reengage the students, families and staff at our school sites. We also participated in open houses and back to school community events to give away swag and introduce ourselves more broadly to the many wonderful organizations that serve the young people in our community. The families at a Federal Way back to school event were so excited to get free Y.E.T.I. branded water bottles that we gave away every single bottle we brought to the event!
We have already started running trips for some of our community partners this year. Phenomenal She went on a beautiful hike to Twin Falls, where one student may have accidentally become more acquainted with the Snoqualmie River than originally planned! And Partners in Employment got to take their youth environmental restoration cohort Kayaking on Angle Lake! These partners are doing such amazing work in the community for young people and we are so proud to work alongside them to provide these opportunities.
After School and Weekend Trips
Our after school trips have started up again! We have 3 amazing program coordinators and 2 regular outdoor instructors working every week to bring outdoor opportunities to the young people in the Highline and Tukwila school districts. Sam Sauerbrei is providing trips for scholars from Cascade View ES, Showalter MS, and Foster HS. Renee Torrie is riding the wave of enthusiasm from the students at Pacific MS, Sylvester MS, and Glacier MS. Eddy Kim is recruiting and planning adventures with young leaders from Evergreen HS, Mount Rainier HS, and Maritime HS. All the while, our amazing outdoor instructors, Wes Wakai and Erin Kollar are supporting these programs by lending their skills in outdoor sports like Kayaking and Rock Climbing.
Our weekend trips are now open for any youth in the community to enroll! These trips offer young people a longer outing on Saturdays to further explore their outdoor passions. We have had full trips every weekend so far as students have gotten to go hiking, rock climbing, and kayaking for a full day of fun!
Looking Ahead
As we dive head first into our school year programming, Y.E.T.I. is always reminded of what a wonderful community we get to be a part of. Whether it’s after school, the weekend, or during the school day, we are looking forward to all the smiles and fun that the young people and youth serving organizations in South King County will share with us this school year. We can’t wait to see you out there!
