BUILD A BOAT

Lake Forest Open Lands Association’s Center for Conservation Leadership launches a new workshop with Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep in Waukegan.

The Center for Conservation Leadership (CCL) at Lake Forest Open Lands Association is teaming up with The Urban Wilderness Program to offer a boat building workshop at Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep (CRSM) in Waukegan on November 6 to 14.

“We meet young people where they’re at, in their own community, and offer opportunities for meaningful outdoor learning experiences with less travel time, expense, and social barriers to participation,” says Trace Dunning of The Urban Wilderness Program.

This project is funded in part under the Coastal Zone Management Act, by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Coastal Management Program.

Through this workshop, students learn to build a skin on frame canoe by hand, learn to set goals, stay committed to a long-term project, and execute complex tasks using STEM concepts. Apply- ing ideas from math and science classes into practice through the boat building process helps students who may not thrive in traditional classroom settings. Students learn to work together, make good decisions and manage risk.

“It’s a perfect fit,” says Julia Lunn, Director of The Center for Conservation Leadership, now in its 14th year. “Our mission with CCL is to break down barriers to nature and engage more people in the natural world. Our partnership with Urban Wilderness provides a hands-on boat building opportunity right on CRSM’s campus, incorporating STEM throughout the building process, and then an immersive nature experience as the boat is launched on open water!”

For more information on The Center for Conservation Leadership or to inquire about a boat building workshop at your school, please contact Julia Lunn JLunn@ lfola.org. For more information about Lake Forest Open Lands, please visit lfola.org.