Harold Parker State Forest – It’s a Wrap!

By: Jenaya Amore, 18

The Teen Ambassador program has finally come to a close! To tie-up our successful and fun-filled year, the Teen Ambassadors traveled to Harold Parker State Forest in North Andover, MA for a night of camping, s’mores, singing, stories and laughter. During our overnight stay, we organized a lot of activities that integrated teamwork and communication. We all knew throughout the Teen Ambassador program, in order for tasks to get done efficiently, teamwork and communication were essential components in achieving success.

For instance, we all worked together to set up tents and some of us had individual tasks that consisted of either washing dishes, cleaning up trash left at the campsite (Leave No Trace which is making good decisions and acting responsibly in the outdoors), and preparing breakfast and dinner for everyone. When building the tents teamwork was crucial. There were approximately two teens per tent. The pairs worked together in actually building the tent, pole by pole, piece by piece. When the pair was done, they helped the other teens who needed assistance. For some of the Teen Ambassadors, it was their first time building a tent so it was a little confusing and frustrating at first. However, everyone worked together to help each other out in making sure that all of the tents were put up correctly.

Once the tents were put up, we all went to the Appalachian Mountain Club shed to look for gear that would help us prepare for dinner. Some of the TA’s jobs were to prepare the food, start boiling water, put up a tarp and/or build a fire. The designated chefs for the evening were Zannat and myself. We both worked together to prepare an awesome meal of mac and cheese broccoli while the rest of the TA’s attended to the fire. S’mores completed the evening – nothing beats roasting marshmallows on at stick! The next day and with little sleep, Fong alongside Colleen, prepared a breakfast of eggs, pancakes, fruit and potatoes. Delicious! We even had a few friendly dogs greet us as we worked together to break down the tents, put gear back in the shed, and van. Throughout our trip, everyone was occupied with completing a task and contributed to helping out in their own way. After we packed everything up, Fong and I both took turns reading a map to find a good hiking trail for all of us to go on. It was a beautiful day and the trail was a great ending to our trip - ticks, mosquitoes and all.

 Teamwork and communication were extremely important while on our trip but more so important throughout the Teen Ambassador year. This year we completed many projects where we learned about Zoos’ Species Survival Plans, recycling, climate change, endangered species and much more. Without working together, this year would not have been possible or as great as it was!