Kaydin Smith
July 2006
Internship Work Summary
For my internship I worked with an organization called Acorn Soupe. They are a non- profit organization, and their only revenue is from fundraising and donations. Acorne Soupe offers a five day adventure at a summer camp for youths. The summer camp program connects kids and the community to nature through education. They work to advance environmental education and the human potential to sustain the Earth. The youth and nature summer camp program gives young people the opportunity to establish a sense of responsibility towards the future health of the planet and connect the kids to nature and the wilderness with a bunch of fun activities. Acorn Soupe rents the summer camp facility at Black Mountain Preserve, who is owned and managed by the Padmasambhava Peace Institute. Black Mountain Preserve is located on 485 acres of gorgeous coastal redwood forest in Cazadero, CA. Alison Hicks is the program director that was my mentor for my internship.
As a youth camp leader I was given the responsibility to connect with groups of youths of all ages. I provided leadership, supervision, knowledge and encouragement for a group of the camp kids. I participated in day hikes and night hikes in the forest, creek exploration, ocean tide pool exploration, arts, crafts and music, storytelling and s'mores at the campfire, organic gardening and building with cobb. The children and I interacted with one another and other peers and adults to gain an understanding and appreciation for natural ecosystems. The student campers have the opportunity to give back to the land, and interact with hands-on activities to experience their own place within the cycle of life.
Collaboration and oral communication was involved in every task I had to accomplish, citizenship and ethics were also a big part of the internship. I had to collaborate and communicate with the kids on all activities. It's not an easy task keeping the kids interested. For citizenship and ethics I had to communicate and interact with the kids on a constant basis, supervise activities, provide leadership and encourage teamwork for all campers. Youths are great teacher too! Just ask them what they know! I completed my internship with Acorn Soupe at an outreach event Family Art & Nature day at Di Rosa Preserve. I assisted the naturalists guiding children and their families in hands-on art and nature activities exploration.
Although none of the objectives for this particular internship related to technology, the internship allowed me to use the skills I already knew and apply them in a different environment. I was given the opportunity to learn and to grow while helping others do the same. I gained personal satisfaction through doing something worthwhile. I contributed to my future and the future workforce.