The Environmental Leadership for Youth (ELY) Indigenous Youth Camp is hosted by the OSU Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences as an extension of the New Beginnings for Tribal Students program. The camp is intended to increase interest in the environmental sciences and access to higher education for Native American youth through hands-on activities and engagement with Indigenous leaders, natural resource professionals and graduate students. The residential summer camp is designed for youth entering 9th – 12th grades, self-identifying as Native American (proof of enrollment is not required) and living in Oregon.
Read Oregon Sea Grant’s January 2024 article: Summer Camps Introduce Indigenous and Migrant Youth to Science and College
The ELY Indigenous Youth Camp is based at the OSU campus where youth sleep in the dorms, use college classrooms, and eat at the student dining facilities to get an idea of campus life. We take field trips to educational sites in western Oregon.
Camp field trips may include:
A team-building challenge course
Canoe paddle
Hands-on science labs at Hatfield Marine Science Center
Guided hike at Marys Peak
Swimming
Visits to ecological restoration sites
Tribal games
Youth learn about the wide breadth of environmental science-related academic programs, financial aid and college access tools offered by OSU. We discuss the importance of honoring Indigenous Knowledge along with western science, and we meet Indigenous college students, campus leaders and professionals.
Youth are supervised 24 hours per day by a trained staff and college student mentors.
There is no cost to participants, and we’ll be offering a $$ stipend to youth completing the camp.
WATCH this 2-minute promotional slide show from Aug. 2022.
The camp program is planned and held with the generous help and expertise of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.
The camp is sponsored by OSU's New Beginnings for Tribal Students, Oregon Sea Grant, OSU College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, and OSU College of Agriculture.
Getting a close-up look at aquatic macroinvertebrates, a key to understanding stream ecology
Studying adaptations of intertidal sea life at Hatfield Marine Science Center
Contact NBTS Coordinator Bessie Joyce:
Contact Open Campus Assistant Director:
Dr. Guillermo Giannico, OSU Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences Department
Transferring from a community college to a university can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Open Campus coordinators are here to help map out your transfer goals and connect you to transfer resources and information. Transfer Support includes degree planning, campus tours, and more!
Open Campus believes in the power of providing tools and resources that will help students and job seekers achieve their long-term goals. From career exploration events to industry-specific career snapshots, we strive to provide job skills, opportunities, and pathways to our community. From resumés to trade school, we can help!
Open Campus and Juntos provide local access to education through community-based partnerships and unique programming, meeting needs of the Oregon communities
we serve
Oregon State University Extension Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services, activities, and materials on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, genetic information, veteran’s status, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Interested in helping us grow and continue to serve more Oregonians?
