SierraScape October - November 2001
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Inner City Outings hosts national conference
by Marge O'Gorman

EMG Sierra Club members and ICO volunteers Brad Stumpe and I attended the national Inner City Outings Conference at the Estes Park Center, YMCA of the Rockies in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado on August 16-19, 2001.
One hundred ten volunteers from all across the U.S. and Canada participated in two and a half days of learning, sharing and socializing.

Inner City Outings began in San Francisco as an outreach program of the Sierra Club in 1971.

During these past 30 years, ICO has expanded to 44 cities. Its mission is to promote personal development by linking cultures, encouraging respect, providing leadership skills and fostering the protection of local and global environments.
Workshops this summer included topics to aid local groups in organization and planning, working with youth, developing good publicity and public relations, and integrating environmental education into outings.

Brad was amazed at the dedication and enthusiasm of those who attended. "I was so impressed at the number of adults who care about kids. They put a lot of time and effort in providing opportunities for city kids to enjoy the outdoors."

Besides the adult leaders who attended this year's conference, twelve participants were youth leaders active in chapters from both the east and west coast.
One young man, now 22-years old, has been active in ICO since age 11. He said his involvement with ICO has made a profound impact on his life. He is presently a college student working on a degree in business so he can dedicate his talent to the not-for-profit sector.

Each of the regions had a planning session during the weekend. The Midwest region, which is made up of ICO groups from six cities, began planning for an intra- region outing to Isle Royale in the summer of 2002.
"I'm really excited about planning the intra-regional outing," Brad said. "We would be working with the National Park Service and the kids could experience wilderness backpacking and canoeing."

The St. Louis ICO currently has six certified leaders and two volunteers serving three agencies. Last year, 88 children had the opportunity to spend 15 days outdoors, hiking, camping, canoeing and rafting.

ICO welcomes new volunteers. For information, contact Tim Pekarek : (314) 621-4052 or check the ICO website or check the ICO website at http://ico.sierraclub.org/stlouis.