New Program Coordinator Joins the WildLink Team

I'm very excited to introduce you all to Cynthia, our new WildLink Program Coordinator. Many of you have met her at various Family and Teacher Development Weekends and expeditions over the years. She has been involved in the WildLink Program for the last four years, and we're very happy to have her officially on board. She brings a wealth of experience with her deep seated backcountry skills, environmental education experience and long history of work with culturally diverse youth.

You'll get to know her very well over the course of the school year, as she is taking over the field component of WildLink. Not only will she be leading students on their expeditions and helping out with special events; she'll also be working with teachers on pretrip visits. Cynthia's move into this exciting new position means that the Program Manager will be able to focus more on the development and fundraising efforts necessary to make this program sustainable, and to keep those scholarships coming!

Keep an eye out for Cynthia, and please welcome her to the WildLink Family!

WildLink Expansion Plan Begins this Year!

We've been gearing up for an exciting year here at WildLink. Here are a few of the developments we have planned:

1)A half-time WildLink Coordinator, who will be a senior instructor from the Yosemite Institute Field staff. Cynthia will take over the field instruction part of the program by leading our WildLink expeditions. They will also take part in school pre-trip visits, special events and management of the WildLink website.

2)Three new expeditions of twelve students each, for a total of nine expeditions next year. This increase from six to nine expeditions per year will increase the number of students we serve by 50%.

3)Our second annual Youth Leadership Summit, to be held in Fresno in Spring 2007. Our first day-long workshop was such a success, we have decided to make it an annual event.The focus of the program is empowering youth as community leaders, and we plan to reach between 40 and 60 WildLink alumni each year with this program and will build on its success in subsequent years to reach more and more of our youth.

4)A full-time school year Community Organizer, who will be based out of Forest Service offices in Clovis, CA. Their primary responsibilities will include acting as a local support for teachers and students before the expedition as they plan and prepare for their trip, and guiding them through the process of selecting, carrying out, and documenting their Wilderness Ambassador projects. They will also be available for Wilderness Assemblies at schools, as well as publicizing events like our WildLink Family Weekend, Teacher Development Weekend and our new annual Youth Leadership Summit to WildLink alumni in their home communities and schools. We plan to start this position in January 2007.

And of course, we will continue to offer our annual Teacher Development Workshop and WildLink Family Weekend.

All of these additions to the program are designed to help us reach more students and teachers with WildLink, and to better support our teachers and alumni. We would like to recognize the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, Yosemite Institute and our many funders; for without their support, none of this would be possible. Thank you.

Upcoming WildLink Teacher Development Weekend

The summer is winding down and the evenings are cooler here in the mountains. That means it’s time for our sixth annual WildLink Teacher Development Weekend! Teachers will be coming to Yosemite from Friday evening, October 13 until Sunday, October 15.

We’re pleased to announce the theme of this year’s weekend, “Building Bridges Between Wilderness and Home”. This weekend will focus on giving teachers the tools to help students get connected to the Wilderness and stay connected to its valuable lessons once they return home. We will also be working on bridges between each other, so that our teachers can better build on each others ideas and successes.

The event will be held at Crane Flat, which is in close proximity to the beautiful High Sierra of Tuolumne Meadows. This allows us to experience both the park and one another in a more intimate way. There will be plenty of time for networking with other teachers, brainstorming ideas and exploring the outdoors!

The weekend will include:

• an introduction to our new WildLink Program Coordinator Cynthia
• an update on some exciting new developments in the program
• a variety of wilderness hikes throughout Yosemite
• an opportunity to play the new Empowerment game, a new piece of curriculum designed specifically for WildLink
• a panel discussion with representatives from a variety of organizations from teachers' home communities that have some wonderful opportunities for WildLink alumni.

We’re also planning a special Saturday night campfire all about our teachers' wilderness experiences.including the funny ones, first ones, favorite ones, hardest ones, and most magical ones.

We're excited to see our familiar WildLink friends and to welcome new faces! With a program as geographically far-ranging as WildLink, this annual meeting is vital.

WildLink teachers should RSVP the Program Manager via email by September 20. If you are not a WildLink teacher, but are interested in attending, you may contact Mandy Vance, WildLink Program Manager, to inquire about this possibility.