INTRODUCTION

There is a familiar picture throughout the urban neighborhoods of Northeastern Illinois. Our children laughing and playing, their playground tattered and worn asphalt, broken glass, garbage debris and street corners, there are old abandoned buildings, congested traffic filled streets, and a hazy fog having just above their bright minds. Fishin Buddies was founded on the fundamental purpose to introduce children to nature. For two decades, we have introduced thousands of children to the wonders of the great outdoors. There is an old saying, If you give a man a fish he will eat for that day, but if you teach a man how to fish then he will eat forever. We have introduced them to the Great Outdoors, now we must show them how to protect, conserve and restore the Great Outdoors for future generations. There are serious of environmental issues facing our world today; global warming, over population, ground water contamination, waste management, air quality. We seek to create a system that will serve as a catalyst introducing youth to an environmental stewardship path and link them with those agencies, who will cultivate them along the way, who will fund their creative ideas, who will hire them and continue to educate them in their quest to nurture our air, land and water.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE covers a broad area of issues such as conservation, climate change, biodiversity, water quality,
soil contamination, ground water contamination, use of natural resources, water & air quality, green space, sustainable development and the list goes on.

THE YOUTH CONSERVATION CONFERENCE S (YCC)

primary mission will be to expose youth to the world of environmental Science through a month long conservation experience. Students will participate in an intense 2 week long conservation boot camp then a 2 week long Internship. The students will gain an understanding of what conservation really is and why it is so important. They YCC will provide a continuous professional environment in which youth will learn science techniques, management, team work and leadership skills. These skills are necessary to identify, reclaim and protect precious and limited urban recreational waters, wetlands, and parklands. The students that successfully complete the month long program will be designated as YCC Ambassadors.

OBJECTIVES OF THE YOUTH CONSERVATION CONFERENCE

To introduce youth to the what, where, how, why of conservation To encourage youth to explore the Great Outdoors To build a conservation network among youth and environmental agencies To promote environmental awareness amongst Americas youth To encourage youth to become future problem solvers of our environment To develop an interest among youth in environmental science careers

TEAM STRUCTURE
THE TEAM LEADER (Earns Stipend) will serve as a leader and chaperone for the group. The team leader will have met the
students prior to the start of the YCC. Team leaders are in charge of the students and shall remain with the students throughout the YCC. The team leader will be responsible for the welfare of each of his/her Team members. Team leaders will help the students stay focused and on time for all YCC activities. The success of each team will largely depend on a competent and committed team leader. The team leader must have some back ground working with high school aged youth.

THE FIELD EXPERT will assist the team in the special project that will be presented at the Ambassador Ceremony. The field
expert will be appointed by one of the sponsoring agencies. Fishin Buddies will assign the field expert to a specific team. The field expert must be able to provide expert knowledge on the teams special project. The field expert must be able to provide direction and guidance at the special project breakout sessions. The team leader and team manager will assist the field expert during these sessions.

TRANSPORTATION will be provided to transport the teams to its scheduled daily activities from Fishin Buddies
headquarters. A brown bag lunch will be taken to the activity sites. Other activities and meetings will take place at the Fishin Buddies headquarters.

THE SPECIAL PROJECT

Teams will participate in all YCC activities however, teams will have separate special projects to present. Each team will be assigned a special project at registration. The special project will be a specific area of environmental concern. The team will be responsible to come up with a reasonable solution and present in an oral group presentation in the following format: 1. Present the Problem 2. The Fact of the issue 3. The Team Solution 4. Steps to Achieve the Solution The Teams will have scheduled Special Project breakout sessions to work on their assignment. The presentations will be given at the Ambassadors Ceremony. The presentations will be judged by a panel of Environmental Professionals.

THE AMBASSADORS CEREMONY

The final day of the YCC will consist of breakout sessions and a final reception, the team will give their presentations to the body of the conference and invited guest. The event will be a formal awards ceremony honoring the students efforts. The team with the best presentation will be awarded a special prizes and gifts. All participants will be honored as YCC Ambassadors and receive the YCC Certificate of completion. They will also receive a portfolio with college commendation letters for the activity facilitators and the administrators of the sponsoring agencies.

YCC AMBASSADOR DATABASE

Student profiles of all Ambassadors will be created and the student Ambassadors will receive a quarterly newsletter informing them about opportunities (be it educational internships, paid internships, scholarships, networking and career opportunities). The database will also serve agencies looking for youth serious about educational career paths in the environmental sciences. The student profiles will display similar to a yearbook profile on the YCC Website.