WILD Fall Program

School has started, and IDHA’s Wilderness Inner-city Leadership Development (WILD) program has kicked into full gear. 50 students from a number of Seattle public schools are participating in WILD’s after school activities that foster leadership skills and benefit the Chinatown/International District community.

A group of our students are participating in our intergenerational ESL classes alongside elderly residents of the Chinatown/International District to build English language skills and while fostering intergenerational relationships. Phuong Dang, our Intergenerational Program Coordinator, has guided this program for over 2 years and knows that this program is essential to providing participants with important communication skills and creating positive relationships across generations for Seattle’s Asian Pacific Islander community.

WILD also offers participants an opportunity to work on a youth-led, neighborhood-based project that spans the length of the academic year. This year, our youth have chosen to partner with Inter*Im Community Development Association to help expand the Children’s Garden at Danny Woo Garden. The Danny Woo Garden is a beautifully terraced, 1.5 acre urban park where neighborhood residents can tend over 100 community garden plots.  WILD youth will be helping to create public art for the garden and to build a space where young children can explore the natural world.

WILD youth are encouraged get involved in neighborhood events and environmental stewardship activities. On November 14, 2009, WILD youth participated in the ID Fall Clean-Up, to maintain the plot of bamboo which they helped to plant earlier this year in the ID on Lane and Maynard. Into December our youth will volunteer for the annual ID resident Holiday Dinner and Gift Drive, hosted by IDHA. The youth gain leadership skills by hosting and planning the Holiday Dinner and by wrapping and distributing gifts to low-income families, children and elders.  Along with their volunteer work, WILD youth also enjoy outdoor activities such as eagle watching, snowshoeing and an overnight at the Seattle Aquarium. Together, these activities provide WILD youth with fun and exciting opportunities to give back to their community.

Lastly, WILD offers a number of additional activities, including college preparatory classes, tutoring sessions, one-on-one counseling, referral and support services. If you would like to know more about the WILD Program, or know a youth ages 13-19 who would like to get involved, contact Alma Dea Michelena at almadea@apialliance.org.