A new Teen Ambassadors Program will offer area freshmen and sophomores in the gateway communities surrounding Voyageurs National Park an opportunity to visit another national park service site, learn about the national park service, and collaborate with other youth to complete conservation projects.
Superintendent Mike Ward encourages area youth to apply to participate in the new program.
Ten students from the area will be selected as teen ambassadors for Voyageurs National Park. In June, these ambassadors will travel to the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area in the Twin Cities for an overnight stay along the river hosted by Mississippi’s Teen Ambassadors.
Voyageurs’ Teen Ambassadors will host the group from the Twin Cities for an overnight trip in the park in August. During each visit, teen ambassadors will learn about the respective park and complete a service project.
In between the park visits, the teen ambassadors will collaborate remotely to discuss issues facing park management at both locations. Park managers will also look to the teen ambassadors for suggestions about how to reach out to youth and attract them to visit national parks.
To finish off the experience, teen ambassadors will visit elementary school classrooms and tell young students about their experiences in these two nationally significant places.
Applications are due May 18. The application can be downloaded at http://voyageurs.org/teenambassadors/. Completed applications with parental/guardian signature may be emailed to vnpa@voyageurs.org.
The program is made possible by Voyageurs National Park Association with a grant from the National Park Foundation.
Other partner organizations include Wilderness Inquiry and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
