Kids for the Boundary Waters, a group of teenage and college students are organizing a third “fly-in” to the nation’s capital, and asking for applications to join the June 17-20 trip. Participants will advocate for the wilderness with federal officials, seeking protection from potential mining pollution.
The four-day trip will provide training to participants from seasoned environmental advocacy organizations, and from experts on how mining could harm the Boundary Waters region. Then they will be let loose on Capitol Hill and around the city at federal agency offices. They will share their own stories about the importance of the Boundary Waters with people in the legislative and executive branches of government.
“This trip will be intense, fast-paced and hard work,” the organization states. “It will also be very exhilarating and gratifying. You will return home Thursday morning with a deep sense of accomplishment, having participated in an important American process, and having utilized your passion and voice on behalf of America’s most pristine water wilderness!”
Empowering young people
The program has become an important aspect of Kids for the Boundary Waters’ work since their first trip in 2017. Each one has nearly doubled the number of students participating. The organization and the fly-ins have been supported by the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, Wilderness Society, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the Quetico Superior Foundation.
Quetico-Superior Wilderness News reported on last November’s trip to D.C., during which 40 young people from 10 different states and even another country participated.
“I think when a group of kids walks into an office of a politician and the kids know what they’re talking about, make their arguments effectively, I think it’s a little harder to look a kid in the eye and lie. Not to say it hasn’t happened,” said organization founder and high school student Joseph Goldstein.
The application deadline is Sunday, March 10, 2019. Young people interested in applying must be between 15 and 22 years of age. Some financial assistance is available for applicants who demonstrate financial need.