Union City High School is continuing its success in the 2024-2025 school year with year three of our Hiking Club. We are a district comprised of a majority of students who are an underserved population and not able to access the outdoors on a regular basis. With the addition of the club, students now have opportunities to connect to nature on monthly hikes. We have been able to grow the club to a membership level of over 250 individuals. Weekly meetings average 50 students where they learn about physical fitness, first aid, mindfulness, staying away from drugs and alcohol, nutrition, hydration, prevention of hypothermia, flora, fauna, and environmentalism. Additionally, we have focused on team-building activities, and students have formed new friendships and fostered leadership skills both on and off the trail.
In coordination with SBYS and the leadership of Nivia Rojas, Director of SBYS, we have had the opportunity to gain access to transportation, which is difficult to acquire. SBYS also provides us with amazing chaperones who are not only well-versed in the outdoors but are an integral part of our mental health program here at UCHS. Students feel comfortable and safe with these individuals, and without their role in the club, I believe we would not be as successful.
With the grant provided by WSCC, we have made phenomenal strides toward connecting our underserved population with the benefits of fostering health and wellness through a connection to the outdoors. We have had students who have never hiked now become active members of the club and even take on leadership roles. Students have increased their physical fitness by both preparing for and participating in hiking trips. We have had an increase in interest and membership over the course of our second year and continue to grow the club at each meeting. Students have competed in weekly challenges in order to increase their stamina and physical fitness. We used the Map My Walk app to track each other’s steps during the week, and prizes were given to those who had the most steps per week. This incentive turned into a popular competition while increasing students’ fitness and preparing them for more difficult hikes. In addition to increasing physical activity, students’ mental health has been positively affected by being immersed in nature and being able to focus on “the now” while on hikes. Students have had the opportunity to find peace while communing with nature and other like-minded individuals on these trips. They have found an alternative to being on their phones or electronic devices and have discovered the healing aspect of being connected to nature and being mindful. Students have learned to focus on the present on these hikes. Being present allows them to be mindful of their surroundings and opens them up to better mental health in doing so. When polled about the benefits of hiking students responded with the following: “I find most enjoyable in the hikes are the chance to enjoy the silence of the outdoors”, “Walking or climbing up with friends”, “How peaceful it is and disconnected i feel from the world”, “Being able to be myself”, “Being able to spend time with my friends”, “What I find most enjoyable of the hikes would be the beautiful scenery of the woods.”, “The feeling of being in the nature.”When asked if they met any new people through the hiking club, students responded overwhelmingly yes…100 percent of them did.
When queried about the best thing about Hiking Club, students responded the following ways: Being outside in nature: 92%, Meeting New People: 65%, Experiencing Something New: 93%, Spending Time with Friends: 73%, Challenging Myself: 65%. When asked how they feel when in nature, they responded in the following ways: Calm and at peace: 95%, Excited and energized: 74%, Happy and in the moment: 73%. Overall, the results of polling our members have been overwhelmingly positive and indicate students are at peace, in the moment, connecting with others, and enjoying time being active in the outdoors.
In conclusion, this program has enabled students to feel connected to one another, form new friendships, develop a love for hiking and the outdoors, find inner peace, increase their activity level, explore new environments, and instill in them an initial love for the outdoors. Going forward, we hope to increase the number of hikes per month, initiate more incentives for independent physical activity, incorporate more mental health awareness through the further implementation of Inner Explorer, yoga, and meditation activities, outreach to incoming Freshmen to get them involved in school and have members make more decisions about future hikes, continuing to partner with the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute for mindfulness activities and promoting sober events, and getting parents involved in attending/chaperoning field trips for next year.
