Butte County at-risk youth get some outside assistance from the new

WRITTEN BY SHELLY BRANDON An uneven path

Take a moment to consider what happens when you step out into the forest and all your senses are enveloped in nature. The sounds of birds and your footfalls on the path, the smell of leaves and earth, and the touch of a light breeze. Or, maybe, it’s just sitting outside during a rare rolling thunderstorm watching the lightning dance around the dark clouds as the crisp smell of ozone surrounds you. This sense of awe in nature is widely accepted as an important therapy tool. Pediatrician Dr. Nooshin Razani of UCSF writes prescriptions for her patients for time in nature. She says, “nature has the power to heal because it is where we are from. It is where we belong. It belongs to us as an essential part of our health and survival.” at CSU Chico, directs the Inland Northern Science Project throughout the nine counties in northern California and has a strong passion for environmental education. Elements is the latest effort she and her colleagues have established through a youth community action grant in order to help kids get more access to the outdoors. Butte and Glenn counties desperately need more programs like this which will support youth and enable them to reach their full potential “by connecting them to nature and the outdoors through access to recreation areas as well as college and career pathways in the natural resources sector.” Butte County has the highest adverse childhood experiences score and the lowest college attending population anywhere in California. Anne shares, “Youth are in crisis right now. We’re

seeing a lot of mental health issues due to losses from the fire, losses from Covid, and just difficult home lives.” Elements aims to give these youth a pathway out, a way to live beyond the trauma they’ve experienced. Each year, the program will take 15 students ranging in age from 15 to 26 from underrepresented groups including homeless, foster, indigenous, and those with incarcerated family members.

Anne says, “the goal is to provide leadership and wellness training, to help youth develop their voice so they can reform the rebuilding of The Ridge and the recreational opportunities in the area.” It will incorporate a full year of evening meetings and weekend events aimed at exposing them to different recreational activities to get them outside and active again. These could include kayaking at the Forebay Aquatic Center down the Feather River, learning about astronomy on boats in Paradise Lake, hiking on the trails recently reestablished in Paradise, visiting the Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, and a variety of other collaborated outdoor experiences.

The Elements program intends to build communication skills through cooperation, conflict resolution strategies, and trust building. It will help connect students to the natural world through forest therapy walks, land stewardship, and ropes courses. The program will encourage health and wellness with meditative yoga and self-regulation skills. Finally, Elements hopes to encourage college and career readiness through externships, jobs in natural resources, and service to the community.

Paradise Recreation and Park District, Outdoor Education for All, Butte County Office of Education, Chico State Ecological Reserves, and the Inland Northern Science Project are working together with the community to bring nature back to our youth. To remind them what it feels like to balance on logs, walk on the forest’s uneven paths, and then choose one that leads them to a better future.

The R's of revitalized skin

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Don't forget cleanser, toner and moisturizer to round out your recommended skin care REGIMEN.