Environmental Education & Youth Leadership

In 2015, with support from the JM Kaplan Foundation, Leaders on the Lake: Getting Down and Dirty with the Environment was born! The first big project for this group of young leaders was to construct raised garden beds at YWCA Vermont Camp Hochelaga. This led to gardening classes and great fresh food for our meals. Our raised bed gardens have grown to six and continue to provide fresh produce for our kitchen during the camping season. Since then, our spring Leaders on the Lake program has focused on inspiring girls to feel empowered to pursue their interests and develop their STEAM skills and step into leadership roles with confidence through team building challenges as a group. Leaders on the Lake participants have planted camp’s garden, built bat houses, built a chicken coop, learned about our camp bees, cooked dinner over the campfire, taken on team challenges, played full camp games, and spent nights in cozy camp cabins!

Leaders on the Lake programming is developed annually in partnership with Lake Champlain Basin Program and other community partners associated with providing environmental education opportunities for youth. YWCA Vermont will often choose a specific theme relevant to the current challenges of our local environment to create meaningful projects for young leaders to take part in.

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