Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

Two hundred teenagers filed off the buses and set to work under the hot sun. Despite the heat, all were excited to be able to contribute to their communities and were talking and laughing as they set about their tasks. I stood with six others off to the side, looking at the campsite filled with teens planting, building, and painting, and felt a rush of satisfaction as I realized that I had helped to make this day possible. I was one of seven high school juniors selected to co-chair the event we dubbed Green Day LA, an effort to involve teenagers in community service. The telephone call inviting me to participate in the leadership of this project filled me with both excitement and trepidation. I had never before planned an entire event, and the experience left me with a feeling of accomplishment and knowledge that I can accomplish whatever I set out my mind to do.
Planning and executing Green Day LA turned out to be a huge commitment; it required much more time and effort than I had anticipated, but the end result was worth the hard work. The goal of Green Day LA was to involve as many teenagers as possible in a one-day environmental community service project. This event occurred in many cities all over the United States, and we wanted to be able to be a proud part that could contribute to our community. We chose to do an environmental project because we believed that it would have the greatest effects; we decided to do our community service work at Camp JCA Shalom in Malibu; the day consisted of planting trees, creating fences for gardens, and building and painting recycling bins. All of these activities would make the campsite a better and more beautiful place, and could teach the campers about the importance of respecting nature, recycling, and perhaps involve them in community service as well.
Over the two months of preparation, I gained many practical skills. I am proud of many things which I accomplished through planning and executing Green Day LA. As I looked over the campsite with my co-chairs, all clad in our home-made Green Day LA t-shirts, I could not help but swell with pride. The teens were hard at work building fences, planting trees and gardens, and painting recycling bins that would soon contribute to a beautiful campsite and education about environmental conservation. I believe that the change we made to that summer camp was only part of the full impact; the teens who participated valued their accomplishments and I learned valuable leadership tools that I can use on the next project and gained confidence that I can motivate others to succeed alongside me.