Tony Marquez recalls what his summer was like prior to beginning the ARC Summer Immersion Course on July 6th: “I was lying in bed until late at night, watching TV, and eating day-old popcorn.” His teammate on the 2020 ARC summer course, Asucena Valencia, shared a similar sentiment. Speaking in Spanish, she said the month of June was “boring” and that “she practically did nothing.” Tony and Asucena are two of eight California youth who have joined ARC for a month-long literacy, leadership, and wilderness course this summer. Instead of stale popcorn and long, repetitive days, they are now hiking up Sierra Nevada peaks, writing poetry, and learning outdoor skills in the backcountry.
After canceling the three regularly-scheduled Summer Immersion Courses, ARC took many precautionary steps in preparation for this special 2020 course. Students committed to socially distance and wear masks when in public leading up to the course. Additionally, all the students and staff tested negative for COVID-19 prior to the first expedition. During the experience, students are in their own “bubble” and have no in-person contact with non-course participants. Currently, the students are at their first basecamp after a successful seven-day backpacking expedition.
During the first expedition, ARC staff modeled outdoor skills for the students: how to pack a pack, cook over a small stove, take care of personal hygiene, navigate using a topographical map, and more. Meanwhile, the students journaled, capturing their surroundings and processing their experiences in writing. Asucena said, “Everything was so beautiful here. Where I’m from in Mexico, it’s desert. The whole time I thought about wanting my father to come here and see it.”
In environmental science lessons, the students identified the flora and fauna around them. They learned to observe and appreciate the birds overhead, the wildflowers below, and the trees above. In this outdoor setting, they also read and discussed short stories. Tony says. “I cannot express how different it feels here versus in a classroom. There’s a fun aspect that makes you want to read and put yourself out there. When you feel the support that everyone is bringing to the group, it’s really empowering.”
During their expedition the students hiked a total of 30 miles. Asucena remarked on how incredible it felt to be outdoors continuously for so many days, “All the time you’re seeing natural beauty and you start to feel more a part of the natural world.” From a summer of boredom and endless news of COVID-19-related cancellations, eight youth are now having a transformational academic and outdoor experience with ARC. The students will be continuing their adventure by conducting virtual community interviews tomorrow and beginning a second expedition this Saturday. They will graduate on August 1st. Stay tuned for an invitation to a livestream of this summer’s Voices of Youth poetry reading on July 29th.
