![Wild Kids of YIS, Get Ready!]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1669348823/yokohama/zf4o7egpyqiie6a3uw2p/WildKidsApplicationPoster-2.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1669348823/yokohama/zf4o7egpyqiie6a3uw2p/WildKidsApplicationPoster-2.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1669348823/yokohama/zf4o7egpyqiie6a3uw2p/WildKidsApplicationPoster-2.jpg","width":793}])
by Krista Quint, MYP/DP Language & Literature Team Leader
YIS, in collaboration with the Wild Communities foundation, is offering a unique opportunity for High School students currently in grades 8 to12 to travel to Hawai’i this summer. The trip will be focused on building community, nurturing self-growth and reflection, deepening students’ connection to nature and strengthening their understanding of service and responsible action. The trip will be from June 17th-27th 2023, and applications are open now.
What is Wild Kids Community?
YIS is partnering with the Wild Communities Foundation, which is an intergenerational community of teachers, leaders, professionally trained guides and junior counselors. The foundation is rooted in environmental stewardship, unstructured play, active appreciation, expeditionary learning and cultural exchange. It is based at Le Jardin Academy, a Global Citizen Diploma and International Baccalaureate school on O'ahu island, and has been running after-school programs and summer trips to Montana and Hawai’i island for more than 10 years.
“We truly believe "it takes a village," but we worry that there aren't many villages left. So, we have set out to build a village of individuals bound in our commitment to caring for one another and for the planet.” - the Wild Kids Community Foundation
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What Does The Trip Entail?
Participants who join the trip will be camping, exploring and engaging with communities on both O’ahu and Big Island. Below is an overview of the itinerary and trip highlights.
O’ahu : June 17 - June 20
- Camp at Wild Communities Farm in Waimanalo
- Service learning work in the lo’i at Ho’okua’aina
- Explore Kailua, a small beach town on the east coast of O'ahu
- Service learning at Kahana’iki to help restore native Hawaiian ecosystems and improve food security
- Snorkel at Hanauma Bay with experts from PMDP
- Visit Le Jardin Academy (another GCD school) and enjoy a community dinner, games and interaction with students there
- Beach day and hike on O'ahu
Big Island: June 21 - June 25
- Camp and work day at Kaiwiki, a beautiful, partially forested plot of land in Hilo, owned and cared for by one of the Wild Kids guides, Hayden, and his wife, Kait
- Explore Hilo's shops, museums and food
- Visit Volcanoes National Park to view the lava at night, for day hikes and to explore the park
- Head to Mauna Kea for a day hike, to engage in cultural understanding, and stargazing
- Camp on the beach!
“I can say without hesitation that the Wild Kids program is the most impactful thing my own kids have been involved in. The approach they take is so pedagogically sound and in line with current research on education. They take such care to make every kid, no matter who they are, feel like they belong and find passion in taking responsibility for the earth and each other. Every time my kids have been on one of their trips, they come back changed (in a good way). Which is why Kyle and I want to maintain our connection with them and offer this experience to our YIS students.”
- Krista Quint, YIS teacher and trip chaperone
For more information, reach out to Mr and/or Mrs Quint. Applications are open until January 15, 2023. More details on the trip, timelines, and cost can be found here.