By Philip Bair
Here at Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, we rely heavily on community outreach. Whether it’s recruiting interested volunteers for our cleanups or getting folks involved in our recreational and educational activities, our goal is to ultimately engage local communities to become Coyote Creek advocates and caretakers!
Spreading the word this week were Deb Kramer and myself at this year’s Citywide Youth Conference, hosted by the San José Youth Commission at San José City Hall on June 9, 2017. This event, free and open to all interested San Jose high school students, entailed a number of free workshops followed by a resource fair. Here, students were able to obtain information regarding opportunities from a number of different agencies, such as the San Jose Public Library, Foothill College, the Anti-Graffiti/Anti- Litter Program, and Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful!
On display at our booth was a sample of trash collected from Coyote Creek, along with artwork and a slideshow. Also available was sign-up information pertaining to our social media pages, upcoming events, and the Coyote Meadows project we are rolling out geared towards high school students. We had an impressive number of sign-ups for our mailing list, with most students displaying a strong interest in both our cleanup events and recreational activities, such as the bicycle, backpacking, and kayaking trips we periodically host.
Connecting with high school students in particular is a high priority for us. High school, especially here in Silicon Valley, encourages students to get more involved in both their academics and extracurriculars, spurring a strong work ethic and leadership skills that will last through their years at university and careers beyond. This dedication and enthusiasm is precisely what we look for in the team of volunteers who represent Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful!
A great big thank you to all of those who continue to support us in keeping Coyote Creek beautiful, and we hope to see a lot of new and returning faces at our next event!