Earth Service Corps: Lessons in Life for
the Leaders of Tomorrow

Making a difference is just a part of life for a pair of Upper Main Line YMCA Earth Service Corps volunteers. Brian Quindlen and Ashley Hazen, two local teens who recently represented UMLY on a pair of Earth Service Corps trips in July and August. The duo traveled to Hawaii as part of an elite group of ten selected from YMCAs across the nation. The selection process involved submitting personal essays, letters of recommendation and character testimonials from YMCA staff. The YMCA of the USA teamed up with the Jean-Michele Cousteau Foundation to host the group for activities on the big island, Hawaii and on Kona. While there, the group learned about local ecology and native culture and also got to share the experience for the other teens from Hawaii and Japan and those specially selected for the trip. Activities included bird watching, snorkeling, kayaking, rock climbing and tidal pool studies.

Quindlen and Hazen on and Eco-Adventure in the Rocky Mountans

Hazen, a 15 year old who attends the Westtown School has been involved with the Y's Environmental Center since 1998, participating in afterschool, weekend and summer programs and activities. She's been part of YESC for two years. Like Quindlen, Hazen believes she's lucky to have this program. "I get to spend time doing fun things that help the environment with others who share my interest in the outdoors and preserving it." The Environmental Education program at UMLY has given Quindlen and Hazen the information they need, through experience and example to start making a difference today. The Upper Main Line Y not only changes lives, but for Hazen its changing the whole planet. She believes everyone can make a difference. "When I think about all of the problems in the world we face such as global warming, habitat depletion, pollution, fossil fuel depletion and over development . . . I know I'm doing something to help."

The YMCA Earth Service Corps fosters the development of peer relationships. It allows young people from different backgrounds to come together to share a common interest in nature. Along the way, they learn and practice valuable leadership skills, communication, problem solving, decision-making and group work. A number of the participants passing through the UMLY program are exploring careers in environmental sciences. For others, YESC is the cornerstone to a lifelong hobby. Birding is a hobby that is growing in popularity as groups like the YESC spread the word about the need for conservation. Each year the group participates in the World Series of Birding in New Jersey. UMLY teams finished first in the Middle School division and the High Schoolers finished as the best overall non-resident team in 2004.

Quindlen and Hazen joined ten other members of Upper Main Line YMCA's Earth Service Corps group for an eco-adventure trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado, the home of the YMCA of the Rockies. There, the group ranging in age from 11 to 19 years took part in mountain hikes, horseback riding, birding, whitewater rafting and conservation activities.

When not traveling around the country, the group serves the YMCA and the community in many ways. The YESC maintains the nature trails on the Y's 54-acre campus. They assist YMCA staff with program instruction and camp. The group will make a significant contribution to assisting staff with the upcoming Fall Fest, a free seasonal event for the entire community. Outside the Y, the group assists local conservation authorities with wildlife inventories throughout the region and performs habitat improvements in conjunction with the Willistown Conservation Trust. To raise money for their trips the YESC staged one of the area's only eco-friendly car washes.

The success of the YESC at UMLY has spawned a sister program at the Lionville Community YMCA in Exton. Teens from both Y branches will work on various projects in the months ahead including habitat restoration projects and monthly bird counts on the YMCA property. The YESC will be working in conjunction with General Wayne Elementary School's PTO to design and establish a wildlife habitat garden outside of the school's science lab classroom.

The YESC is just one program that is changing lives. For more than 40 years, the Upper Main Line YMCA has been a vital community resource with more than 20,000 users of its programs and services. It is our mission to be the leading charitable non-profit community resource founded on the YMCA Christian heritage and dedicated to building healthy spirit, mind and body.

For more information about the YESC or the Y's Environmental Education program, contact Brian Raicich at 610.647.9622, x2404 or brain.raicich@umly.org.