According to the article “Why Is Environmental Education Important for Kids” on the website Rubricon, Environmental education promotes critical and creative thinking skills and inspires kids to become more engaged with their communities. It helps kids understand why the environment is important and provides them with the building blocks they need to live eco-friendly and sustainable lives. (https://www.rubicon.com/blog/environmental-education-for-kids) Many times youth do not have or take advantage of educational opportunities in their own communities, let alone get to experience a diverse opportunity of ecosystems and environmental education that is different than their own. 42 youth from 9 Western Kentucky counties were able to experience many facets of environmental education learning by attending Camp Jekyll 4-H Environmental Camp April 2-6, 2023. Camp Jekyll is a 4-H Environmental Camp that is situated on the Georgia coastline. This camp focuses on educating youth about marine ecosystems, marine conservation, and the environment. Classes youth took part in are: Beach Ecology, Maritime Forest Ecology, Salt Marsh Ecology, Shark and Fish Dissection, Environmental Issues, Sloughing, and Comparing the North and South end Beaches.

Objectives and goals of the program included:

• Apply knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom to real-life situations and learn about global impacts and how actions, even in their local area, can impact the environment as a whole.
• Provide experiences in using scientific processes, such as observing, measuring, and classifying while developing an awareness, curiosity, and appreciation for the environment.
• Learn about best management practices in relation to watershed management and water quality and understand that better management of our oceans resources is important to ensuring global food security.
• Provide unique leadership opportunities for youth.
• Travel to other states and learn about the world we live in.
• Exposure youth to occupations in the field of Marine Biology/Ecology.

Kentucky 4-H believes that all youth should have opportunities for positive youth development in our four guiding concepts: mastery, belonging, independence, and generosity.(https://4-h.ca.uky.edu/content/environment). This trip and environmental focus line up perfectly with Kentucky 4-H’s beliefs and provided a diverse group of youth with many positive experiences both personally and educationally. Youth were surveyed after the trip and many comments were included when asked the following questions:

Q: A new skill I learned or improved as a result of this trip….

• My photography skills. Photography is something I have always done with 4-H, especially for the state fair. Being here with the beautiful scenery, I have been very interested in the pictures I have been able to produce.
• I learned that some shells have crabs in it and some have a bigger claw than the other. How to check the ph and see if there is any living things in the swamp or marsh.
• How to identify a sick slough
• How to perform a dissection on a fish.
• I learned the correct way to hold a crab without getting pinched.
• How to be more independent and take care of myself.
• I learned how the different microorganisms depend on their environment.
• I learned about plants in the marsh
• Communicating with others, I am a shy person and I cannot communicate very well.
• How to make it easier for marine life to live
• Keeping oceans clean
• How to identify plants and animals in nature.
• I learn while being on this trip is how to have a better understanding on how one little action of A human can harm an entire ecosystem.
• Time management and how to dissect a fish.
• I learned about snakes and how to hold them with care.
• Some plants can help with cancer.
• Leadership and learn how eco systems work .
• I learned to have more patience.
• To be a better leader and learn about different opportunities that we don’t have around our particular area.

Q: The most important thing I learned is....

• That marshes are important to animals because it’s a safe place for birds to stop when their flying.
• How to take care of our eco systems and the stages of an eco-system
• How to conserve natural resources.
• How to activate the bioluminescent things in the sand.
• If we are stranded out in the wild, we can find plants that taste like sea salt, and they will save our lives when needed.
• Being careful while doing stuff, making friends, and talking with people I met on this trip.
• How to identity nonvenomous and venomous snakes
• Where the fresh water in Georgia comes from
• How to be a leader and be the best I can be
• The most important thing I learn is people have the better power to help but not everyone chooses to help.
• How to dissect a fish.
• The most important thing I learned is how be a good impact on the environment and ecosystems.
• How to be a leader.
• How important it is to conserve the earth.
• Beach ecology. Tt was very interesting and something I’ve never really thought about when I went to the beach but learning about these different creatures that live in the ocean was super neat.
• How to treat wildlife.
• Teamwork, how to work well with others
• How to conserve the beaches and effects of humans on natural resources
• How marshes work and their effect on environment

Q: As a result of this event…

• I want to continue learning about animals and ecosystems
• I learned more about animals
• More people cannot throw turtles in the ocean or paint on them.
• I learned a lot and made new friends
• As a result of this trip I have learned that not everything is going to go the way you planned but you have to make it work the best you can.
• I have learned more leadership skills. Life lessons. How to take care of our ecosystems and animals and how to care for our marine life.
• I learned how to not disturb nature just doing everyday things.
• I have a better understanding of the ecosystem.
• I feel like I have learned things that can't really be taught in a classroom.
• I will be attending more 4-H events that happened in the summer and spring and maybe fall.
• I made new friends and people I can play games with that are nice and kind to me.
• I feel that I understand the ocean and wildlife.
• I am excited and prepared for more 4-H trips.
• I am more responsible.
• I learned a lot about an island and what it contains and how different life works within the island.
• I have learned how to be a leader. I have also learned how to stay safe in the Marsh.
• Helping communities
• I have made new friends.
• I’m a better person.
• I have a better understanding of the ecosystems get affected more times worse than the land.
• I would be happy to be on more trips to new places through 4-H.
• I have gained lots of new friends, grown in my knowledge about marine life and ecosystems and have become a better leader.
• I am happy.
• I know more knowledge about animals and the ecosystem.
• I can use this knowledge for my future career.
• I have learned how to socialize and be a better person
• I will go home happy.
• I feel more comfortable with tracking out of state and around with 4-H
• It is fun and I want to do it next year.
• I better know how to conserve natural resources.

Q: A new skill I learned or improved as a result of this trip…

• Get out of your comfort zone and try and learn something new. Also, to lead younger children.
• A new skill I learned is how to cut a fish open.
• A skill I improved was looking at the stars and telling what is what.
• I improved my knowledge about sea creatures.
• How to communicate with people better.
• How to identify how an animal died and how to hold a snake.
• To take care of myself better.
• I learned how to identify different types of animal’s plants and insects
• Talking with people I just met and getting to know them.
• Improved my knowledge of environmental science.
• Independence
• Beach Ecology
• How to identify plants and animals on the beach
• I can take things slower and see the beauty hidden beneath my feet.
• How to tell if a ghost crab hole belongs to a male or female.
• How to identify reptiles
• Anatomy of marine animals
• Problem solving
• Leadership
• How to dissect a fish
• About the different species of animals

Q: The most important thing I learned is….

• The most important thing that I learned was that dolphins are toothed whales and more people hurt them by feeding them.
• Not walk on sand dunes because endangered species live there
• To not be afraid to get dirty
• Communication
• If someone wants to be friends with you, just be friends then you can actually have people to talk with.
• Where things come from in the ecosystem
• In order to help protect our ecosystems we all have to have a hand in it.
• How certain animals live at Jekyll.
• How to work with others well and overcome problems
• How to use a debit card.
• How eco systems work
• How to dissect a fish
• How to identify animals in nature

Q: As a result of this event….

• As a result of the marsh walk I know I that there’s a plant the puts all the salt from the water in one leaf
• I had a great time on the island and in Savannah learning about each place and what is neat about both of them.
• I learned about a lot and got to have fun doing it
• I have learned it's ok to not know everything and answer questions wrong and learn about it and remember it so you know for next time.
• I am more aware of how not taking care of ecosystems correctly can cause them to die.
• I have learned to be more independent.
• I feel like it improved my knowledge of environmental science
• I'll learn how we can identify the trees. I also learned how to tell how old a palm tree is
• I have learned new skills and feel educated
• Is that I can see the light even when the Earth turns away from the sun.
• I am more educated on life at Jekyll and more.
• I learned new life skills
• I made new friends.
• I would like to go on more 4-h activities
• I learned how islands are made
• I will dissect another fish
• I can be safer in nature

Other results of this survey find our youth:

• 88.57% have a better understanding of ecosystems.
• 97.14% have a deeper understanding in how to conserve natural resources.
• 88.57% will participate in more 4-H activities because of this trip.
• 65.71% will use the skills or knowledge they learned to conserve natural resources.
• 100% met new people from a different county or state.
• 31.43% is the first 4-H overnight trip that I have attended.
• 86.11% feel that they gained more independence as a result of this trip.
• 85.71% feel 4-H a place where you have a chance to be a leader.
• 65.71% feel 4-H A place where you get to figure out things for yourself.

As you can see, this trip made a huge impact on our youth and even some life-changing experiences. They are already asking when they can come back again. This trip was a huge success, and we plan to continue it into the future to provide more 4-H youth with diverse opportunities to learn.