By MaryAnn Sanders
Field Organizer, Charlotte
What's a great way to introduce students to the Sierra Club's mission? Take them to the great outdoors for an intensive long weekend of education, fun and fellowship!
That's what the N.C. Chapter did in early August, hosting the Sierra Student Coalition's Summer Program – or "SPROG" – for students aged 15 to 25. Nearly 40 students and Sierra Club staff came together from nine states across the East Coast and Midwest, as well as Puerto Rico, at Wildacres Retreat in western North Carolina. Six North Carolina students were among the attendees, from schools in Boone, Asheville, High Point, Charlotte, Raleigh and Wilmington.
From Wednesday through Sunday, they attended workshops on organizing, public campaign planning, sustainable economies, and other topics. Speakers from the national Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society engaged the students on topics such as Indigenous environmental stewardship, the federal Roadless Rule (currently under threat – don't forget to speak up!), and other environmental issues and advocacy in North Carolina.
SPROG is an incredible opportunity for students because they get to meet like-minded peers interested in protecting our environment – and they can attend at a low cost or even for free, making the learning and community available to any student regardless of their means.
This was the first East Coast SPROG since 2019, so student volunteers and the N.C. Chapter staff put in quite a bit of work, spending hundreds of hours planning over eight months, including weekly meetings as the gathering grew closer to finalize programming, logistics, outreach and other details.
All that effort was definitely worth it. Students were incredibly impacted by the workshops they attended, the community they felt with fellow attendees, and the natural beauty North Carolina's mountains – first-time experiences for many of the group.
SPROG also dovetailed with the final project for the Chapter's summer fellows, who spent their summer focused on leading meaningful outings across North Carolina (keep an eye on our blog posts for recaps in the coming days!). Participants got to choose between two outings hosted by the fellows on the last full day of SPROG.
Luke led a hike to the Linville Falls plunge basin, where the students enjoyed being able to see an iconic North Carolina waterfall, while getting to "explore and enjoy" the great landscapes they'd been learning to "protect." Genesis and Kierra led a hike on the Wildacres property and hosted environmental trivia and other educational games. These were great opportunities for our fellows to round off their summer by engaging new environmentalists, and for the SPROG students to get to see young, newly certified Sierra Club Outings leaders in action.
Overall, SPROG was a great opportunity for students from across the region to meet like-minded peers, as well as new friends from North Carolina who could help spotlight what makes our state great. The Chapter hopes to include our in-state attendees in upcoming events and support their environmental organizing goals as they continue their schooling.
More broadly, having North Carolina host the East Coast's first SPROG revival was a great way to kick off a tradition that will be returning in the coming years. While next year's gathering will likely be in another state, the N.C. Chapter will be ready to support and share with budding environmentalists this year, next year and for years to come!
