In honor of AmeriCorps week (March 13th-19th), I’d like to share a bit about my experience as an AmeriCorps member for the Nisqually River Education Project. I have been serving as an environmental educator for the NREP for just over 6 months now and have learned a lot about what it means to be an AmeriCorps member, an educator, and overall a better member of my community.
As an AmeriCorps member, I have been able to take part in many amazing programs put on by the Nisqually River Education Project. My term started off with fall water quality monitoring, which involved our organization traveling to schools around Thurston County and providing hands-on science education with a focus on salmon conservation and habitat recovery. Water quality monitoring is one of the bigger events that NREP facilitates and allowed me an incredible opportunity to dive into the field of education. Throughout my term I have also been able to network with other organizations like the Nisqually Land Trust during volunteer tree planting, lead salmon dissections for elementary and middle schools in the area, facilitate salmon tossing events with the Nisqually Tribe, and be involved in the planning of our biggest event of the year: Student GREEN Congress! There are many more programming events to come, but I have already learned so much from my time with the Education Project.
These past few years have been a difficult time for everyone, but serving with AmeriCorps during a pandemic has allowed me to develop skills and a way of thinking I otherwise might not have had the opportunity to develop. There is a lot of planning and coordinating that goes into nonprofit work, and this year has been no different. There is no certainty when it comes to planning educational programs and my time serving with the NREP has shown me that even if we have every minute of our day planned out, the best skill one can have in this position is adaptability. Our organization has had to do a lot of pivoting throughout these last few months as the uncertainty with COVID has continued, but I am so grateful to be a part of an incredible team that continues to provide support and an opportunity for me to learn and grow in my role as an educator. My time with AmeriCorps at the Nisqually River Education Project has also allowed me to be more confident in my independence. While this is my second term with AmeriCorps, this is the first time I’ve had the freedom to work independently on planning and facilitating education opportunities for students. One would expect many challenges to arise when planning events for dozens of students, but each of the challenges I have faced has allowed me to become a more patient and effective educator which will without a doubt help me in my future career.
Because of AmeriCorps, I have been able to gain hands-on experience in my field, become more engaged in my community, and overall feel more secure in my preparation for graduate school and beyond! Environmental education is a growing field, but because it is still relatively new, there are not many opportunities for young people entering the profession. During my time with AmeriCorps and the Nisqually River Education Project, I have been able to grow my repertoire and be involved in unique experiences I otherwise would not be able to take part in. The wide range of programming our organization is involved in has helped me to become a more well rounded educator which will continuously benefit me as I grow in this field. Being an AmeriCorps member with the NREP has also allowed me to connect with many members of the community I would otherwise not have the opportunity to interact with. Not only have I worked with partnering organizations and been able to network with other professionals in my area, but I have been able to see firsthand how our work can positively impact other members of the community. I work with a large demographic of students, some of whom have not had the opportunity to experience much of the natural world, and every time I see students become more aware of environmental issues or develop more empathy for nature, I am reminded why I want to pursue a career in environmental education. AmeriCorps has helped me prepare for my future by providing me with this unique opportunity to be involved with both nonprofit and environmental education work. The skills I have developed and lessons I have learned from this experience will help distinguish me as an educator and I will carry them with me for the rest of my life.
