Sea, Sand and Sky: All Quiet on the Youth Programs Front...

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

All Quiet on the Youth Programs Front...

Wow what a summer! It's hard to believe that just 8 weeks ago we had our first staff meeting as 16 strangers sat around the table in the conference room, meeting for the first time. That meeting was filled with nervous laughter and awkward pauses, but two months later our last staff meeting was a very different scene!

Friday was our final day of youth programs here at Save the Harbor. The office was inundated by youth staff, who were busy rinsing, cleaning, fixing, sorting and storing all of our program supplies and equipment. As we chipped away at the day's chores everyone had a chance to recount

some of their favorite moments from the summer. To me it really was a great way to wrap the programs - everyone hanging out together being goofy, having spontaneous dance parties in the equipment room, and reminding each other over and over again about why working in the Save the Harbor youth programs is one of the best jobs ever!

I must admit, as someone who has lead youth programs for several years, this year we had one of the best group's of youth program staff I have ever worked with. A genuinely charismatic and

fun loving group of people, they really bonded together and ended up with not only some great friendships among our staff, but also with the kids they worked with through our programs.

Our staff, and especially our high school aged junior program assistants, showed a remarkable amount of leadership over the course of the summer. I couldn't think of a better group of young people to not only excite the region's youth about the Harbor environment, but also to act as role models and mentors to the kids we serve.

Whether singing sea chantey's during the Tall Ships Festival, flying kites on Spectacle Island, or fishing and crabbing from the Boston shoreline, our youth staff did an outstanding job bringing excitement, enthusiasm and fun to thousands of kids across the

Harbor this summer. Thank you to all of them - it was a pleasure to work with you and you will be sorely missed!

See you on the Harbor,

Janet

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Welcome!

Welcome to Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's Boston Harbor blog "Sea, Sand & Sky".

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit public-interest Boston Harbor environmental advocacy organization whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, the Boston Harbor Islands, the Boston Harbor region's public beaches, Boston's waterfront and the marine environment and share them with the public, for everyone to enjoy.

Since 1986, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay has been the driving force behind the transformation of Boston Harbor from one of the dirtiest urban harbors in America to one of the cleanest in the world.

As a result of our advocacy, Boston Harbor has been transformed from a "Harbor of Shame" into a source of recreational, educational and economic opportunity and civic pride. Today the beaches of South Boston are among the cleanest urban beaches in the nation, the Boston Harbor Islands are a National Park, and Boston's waterfront has become a compelling destination for residents and visitors alike.

Working with a broad base of civic, corporate, government, scientific, philanthropic and community partners, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay continues to strengthen the connections between communities and the harbor, and promote the increasingly important impact Boston Harbor has on the region’s economy.

Each year Save the Harbor / Save the Bay runs 2 free Youth Environmental Education Programs that combine recreation and hands-on education to bring Boston Harbor alive for thousands of Boston area young people. Since 2003, we have connected nearly 250,000 youth and teens to Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands, our region's public beaches and Boston's waterfront.