Cincinnati non-profits use outdoor recreation, education to help youth

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A new partnership between two non-profits in Cincinnati hopes to help the youth in our region through outdoor recreation and education.

Thanks to Roads, Rivers and Trails (RRT) in Milford and funding from Patagonia, Adventure Crew is launching a new leadership program called The Crew Pathway with help from the Little Miami Conservancy.

Adventure Crew is available to all Cincinnati Public School students in grades sixth through 12th. It also includes schools in Northern Kentucky.

The idea is for the urban youth to get out in nature at no cost to the kids. They take part in hiking, kayaking, swimming, and much more.

This new partnership with the Little Miami Conservancy hopes to teach the kids about their own impact on nature and how they can improve the environment they call home.

“The kid when they get to 11th or 12th grade, they still want to come out with us,” says Adventure Crew Executive Director Kirsten MacDougal, ”But a lot of them now have to work jobs and make money. So, that is going to dovetail into this whole project as well. There is going to be opportunities in green work to earn some of that money.”

Little Miami Conservancy Executive Director Jason Brownknight says these kids and teens can make a big difference in their community.

“This program was a great fit for us because we’re doing a lot of education programs, we’re doing a lot of research on the river,” Brownknight continues, “From fish research to freshwater mussels, the importance of habitat. And I think the opportunities for these kids to get involved and then pursue a career in conservation will just help further the habitat protection of the river and areas beyond the river.”

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