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Faith Kroma, a sophomore at UrbanPromise Academy and active participant in UrbanTrekkers, told the story of her personal connection to the Cooper River at the New Jersey Land Conservation Rally this past weekend. Her story exemplifies the senses of belonging and ownership that many students feel as they paddle the urban rivers that run through their own neighborhoods in Camden. Stories like Faith’s lead the way in advocating for access to nature for Camden’s residents.
Growing up, my favorite thing to do in the whole wide world was going to the zoo. I remember every first Sunday of
the month, my father and I, along with my sister, would wake up reaaaaallly early, eat breakfast, pack a picnic and drive over the Ben Franklin Bridge to the Philadelphia Zoo. Oddly, my favorite part of those Sunday morning trips was not seeing those exotic, outlandish animals at the zoo.
My favorite part was passing this canal called the Schuylkill River. I can just remember having my two centimeters from the car window trying to catch a gaze at the beautiful boat houses with tiny Christmas lights outlining their structure. I remember cheering on the boat racers as they flew across the river like the speed of light and seeing people playing and jogging around the river.
And I couldn’t forget me thinking that that place just over the bridge HAD to have been the best place on earth. That river was my first real intimate relationship with a piece of nature.
The community I grew up in didn’t have a place that came CLOSE to the beauty of that river. But when I came to Camden, and I enrolled at Urban Promise, I started taking these paddle trips on the Cooper River. The Cooper River is literally a block away from house. The first time I paddled on this river, I mentally rolled my eyes at the comparison to the Schuylkill River. There was just so much trash and debris and abandonment to the Cooper River, and it made me just want to give up on it. However, the more I paddled on the Cooper River, the more potential I saw in it.
Now, I don’t see the Cooper River as just a body of moving water, I see it as a friend. And my friend Cooper here is having some really bad problems right now and needs a buddy like me to stick up for him.
“I never knew wool socks would make such a difference for my comfort when I’m trekking in the snow! They changed my life.” This lesson, along with many others, were talked about last weekend as Jim and I came together with new UrbanTrekkers’ leaders from UrbanPromise sites in Trenton, Wilmington, and Miami. No longer will UrbanTrekkers be exclusive to Camden. Now, with this new group of energetic leaders, UrbanTrekkers programs are starting to come to life for students elsewhere.
This summer, we will be taking students from Camden, Trenton, and Wilmington to Colorado and Utah for a fourteen day expedition through five national parks that will be the adventure of a lifetime. The beginning of preparation for that trip is training the staff in everything from proper gear for the students to the core values and practices that make UrbanTrekkers such a unique and transformative program in the lives of students. Values like integrity and compassion shape UrbanTrekkers and therefore shape the students that we have the privilege of serving.
At its deepest level, UrbanTrekkers holds to the goal of developing lasting relationships between teens and mentors. All the adventure, the hiking, paddling, and camping, would mean nothing if not for the building of relationships that create space for character development and genuine engagement with our youth. As I hiked and talked with those that have volunteered to get UrbanTrekkers programs up and running in their own cities, I couldn’t help but think about the prospect of those relationships forming on a trail in Trenton, or in a kayak on the water in Wilmington. That is the vision of the UrbanTrekkers expansion. As we continue our work here in Camden, new UrbanTrekkers programs will be challenging students’ comfort zones and expanding their worldviews at other UrbanPromise sites around the world.
Keep on trekking,
Julia VanderWoude
Each year, the Camden UrbanTrekkers head south on I-95 to the nation's capitol for our Christmas break trip. An interesting and sometimes unexpected highlight from our Washington, D.C. expedition is our stay at the International Youth Hostel (IYH). The hostel, located at 11th and K Streets in downtown D.C; only minutes walking distance from the Mall, offers a rich cultural experience for the Trekkers.
The IYH hosts young people from around the world. These savvy world travelers come to see the U.S. capitol's treasures and explore United States’ culture at an affordable price. The dorm- like provisions have us sharing common spaces beyond our bunk rooms. The large dining area, TV, and game rooms provide plenty of opportunity for the Trekkers to meet and talk with this vibrant international community.
On our last night, exhausted from walking more miles over four days than we do on some backpacking trips, we decided to order pizza and eat in the community dining room. Not being able to find space where the 23 of us could sit together, the students sat at many different tables and mingled with other guests.
From one table over I watched as Julio, an overly energetic & incredibly curious freshman, sat with a couple from Germany and a young woman from Australia. Julio later shared with me they had so many questions for him about the group he was with and asked him a ton of questions about Camden and UrbanTrekkers. He told me he's never met anyone from another country other than his native Mexico.
Sitting next to me during this dinner is Miss Julia, my Trekker assistant. She is chatting away with Jenniffer, a bright and very shy freshman. I hear Jennifer tell Julia how much she wants to travel and visit France and Spain. She tells Julia how UrbanTrekkers has gotten her out of her shell and how she is now closer to many of her classmates. This once shy and reticent young lady is beaming with excitement.
Later that evening I see a group of my Trekkers gathered in the lounge around the map of the world trying to locate the countries of the people they've been meeting. For many of our students it was their first time to visit Washington, D.C. The Capitol, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Cathedral, memorials, and so much more. With all of these amazing places, I'd still put the International Youth Hostel right up there with the most memorable places we saw. Thank you for your support and keep on trekking,
Urban BoatWorks had a sweet trip on the Rancocas Creek last Saturday. After Jim gave a quick paddle briefing, the kids got on the water in their canoes and kayak. "I can't believe we made our own boats." Was heard more than once. When we returned to the Marlowe's we reveled in our successful paddle and enjoyed a delicious cook-out. Tomorrow, we look forward to paddling the Pennsauken Creek!
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