A summer of learning, outdoor exploration and service culminated this morning in a graduation ceremony for 75 Cook County youth at Wampum Lake Forest Preserve in Thornton Township. Now in its eighth year, the Forest Preserve Experience (FPE) is a collaborative program coordinated by Friends of the Forest Preserves and the Forest Preserves of Cook County, with generous support from the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development, the Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC), the Forest Preserve Foundation, and others. For five weeks this summer, young people ages 14-19 who live in households that receive services from HACC worked in crews at several Forest Preserves sites in the south and west suburbs, learning about environmental conservation and contributing to the health and beauty of the preserves. Most crew members worked at Forest Preserves sites near their homes, allowing them to engage in projects that their families and communities would most easily be able to enjoy. In addition to career and life skills workshops, the summer included a variety of recreational outings and activities, ranging from hiking at the Indiana Dunes National Park to visiting Brookfield Zoo. A special element of the Forest Preserve Experience is the opportunity to develop leadership skills. Crew members work and learn under the guidance of crew leaders, many of whom are themselves former crew members, and many of the youth return for multiple summers. A returning FPE youth, Joshua Alvarado, has been in the program for three years, and is currently stationed at Calumet Woods.

Photo Credit: Forest Preserves of Cook County