Children's outreach program of Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is offering underprivileged students in West Palm Beach offers the Inner City Outings program that allows them to travel into a backyard other than their own. Sierra Club Inner City Outings (ICO) is a community outreach program that provides opportunities for urban youth and adults to explore, enjoy and protect local natural areas.

Through these outings, ICO promotes interpersonal skills and self-esteem by involving participants in teamwork, teaching them self-reliance outside an urban setting, and encouraging them to take an active role in protecting the environment. The program relies on opportunities for personal growth and development by linking participants from different cultures, fostering respect of self and others, and providing participants with outdoor skills training and leadership opportunities.

Wildlife
Tourism and Leisure
Gardens and Parks
First Aid
Forestry and Timber
Everglades National Park

Volunteers are certified leaders who must take a one-day Sierra Club training session. ICO programs range from nature walks to canoeing, hiking and camping expeditions, and are all funded by grants and other funds raised so that the opportunity is provided at no cost to children.

Trips produced by the West Palm Beach ICO branch have introduced students to local parks and wetlands, as well as Manatee Education Center in Fort Pierce and snorkeling at Peanut Island. Other opportunities include tree planting, beach cleanups, cypress seed harvesting at Arthur R. Marshal Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge, and turtle walks where loggerheads have been spotted laying eggs. Another group stayed overnight at the FAU RiverWoods facility and lodge, where they spent time on a pontoon boat in the Kissimmee River, learning about the ongoing river restoration.
With educational experiences such as these, children have the opportunity to learn beyond what is offered in a classroom. And for students who may have never been outside of the city they were born, it's an opportunity of a lifetime. For more information about this program and to volunteer for a rewarding time introducing youngsters to nature, contact Sheila Calderon at shecal@bellsouth.net or visit http://www.sierraclub.org/ico

As always, OCR would appreciate it if you could please share this information with your contacts.

OCR would like to take this opportunity to thank Peyton McArthur, Senior Administrative Assistant to Commissioner Paulette Burdick, for sharing this valuable resource.

Thank you,


Palm Beach County
Board of County Commissioners
County Administration
Office of Community Revitalization

Ruth Cecilia Moguillansky
Principal Planner/PBC Neighborhood Link Coordinator

2300 North Jog Rd., Suite 2E-48
West Palm Beach, Florida 33411-2741

(561) 233-5376 Direct
(561) 779-7163 Mobile
(561) 656-7963 Fax

E-mail: rmoguill@pbcgov.org