After a week of blistering heat, the cool fall temperatures beckoned one and all back out into nature. The sun danced between clouds as staff and students from Job Point stood together with staff and volunteers from Missouri River Relief. The sounds of the river flowing behind them filled the air with a sense of calm anticipation.
Made possible through a generous grant from the Veterans United Foundation, this year’s Stewardship on the River project brought students, staff and volunteers together at the Missouri River Center, a new location for the longstanding partnership. This year, their mission was focused not on the river itself, but on the banks and flood zones beyond.
With a more intimate group, conversations were playful, encouraging and focused on tying the activities of the day to career pathways the future might hold. Splitting into two groups, some marched back toward the Missouri River Center where shovels, trays of native water-loving plants and two eager experts waited.
Students helped plant 50 native plants, a small part of the efforts to restore the habitat along the river. Students learned about why the habitat needed restoration, what kinds of planting environments they could find within the area, and how to figure out which plants needed to go where so they could thrive.
The second group was again divided with half learning about catfishing and half experimenting with art – before switching.
After years of co-hosting this event with Missouri River Relief, staff members have created a framework that flows smoothly – but with a new location and a new mission, the day was anything but a routine field trip for our students.
For one young woman, it was her first time in a boat on the Missouri River. On the way out to the fishing spot, she braced herself in the corner of the boat, closest to the driver, nervously watching as the trees flew by. After learning how to fish and catching her first fish, it was amazing to see how her demeanor changed on the ride back to shore.
In the quiet moments across the banks, a new vision for the future was forming; seeds of possibility were being planted. There is magic in experiences like these. So many lessons to be learned and moments that change the way you view yourself and the world around you.
That is our mission in Job Point’s YouthBuild.
Introducing students to people who may not look exactly like them, but have walked similar circumstances and found success, gave them a fresh perspective on what they might be capable of doing themselves.
Exposing our students to experiences that challenge the narratives they’ve been told and the stories they’ve written about who they are, forces them to grow in ways they never expected and tap into the skills and interests they didn’t know they had.
At the end of the day, many shared that although they were scared, anxious, and worried about what the day was going to look like, they walked away relaxed, refreshed and joyful.
We are so grateful for this partnership with Missouri River Relief and for the generous support of the Veterans United Foundation for making this experience possible for so many students from across Boone County.
