Pathways Newsletter

This summer, Farah (15) joined MCC for the second time in two years, and Alcyone (16), spent nearly half her summer with MCC. Through our partnership with the Glacier National Park Conservancy and the park, MCC offers 2 and 4-week Glacier Youth Corps service expeditions for local teens. Let’s hear what they have to say about their summer spent volunteering in Glacier National Park.

MCC: What keeps you coming back to join another Expedition with MCC?
F: I love going on trips with MCC. The projects are always fun and I meet a lot of new, really great people. You always learn something new about other people and about yourself.
A: During the first Expedition, I realized I experienced a lot of personal growth that I would continue if I had another two weeks. And volunteer work is super fun!

MCC: What has been your favorite memory serving with MCC so far?
F: On our last full day of the Expedition, we had a huge pizza party and invited Casey our project partner, and other NPS staff. It was a ton of fun to celebrate with people, learn more about the NPS staff we were working with, and say goodbye before we left.

MCC: What is impactful or meaningful about serving in Glacier National Park?
A: The recognition that I was doing something for others. Glacier gets a lot of visitors, which makes this work even more important and impactful than perhaps in other places. The NPS staff also emphasized how important these projects were because they’re something that the staff can’t do because they’re so busy. We are making everything better in a little way.

MCC: What has been your favorite project that you’ve worked on there?
F: Last year we rode on white water rafts and weeded along the banks of a river!
A: I enjoyed surveying for huckleberries. Being active in a study like that makes me want to be a scientist who designs studies. 

MCC: How was it working with the Glacier staff?
F: All of the interactions I’ve had have been great. On my first Expedition, one of the partners was a firefighter. It was interesting to get to know them and hear their stories. I’m interested in maybe doing a season of wildlife firefighting when I’m older. Casey, our partner this summer, has worked in maintenance at the park for a long time. He is really positive and would always take us to a cool lunch spot or after-work visit. He gave us a ton of extra experiences and memories, that was really nice.

MCC: How have your Expedition experiences impacted you personally?
A: It definitely made me consider joining environmental and service clubs at school. I also want to be more involved in my friends' and parents’ lives. That definitely changed in me this summer. I want to be more active, help them out more, and be a good member of society. We need to go out of our way to be kinder and more helpful and hold an active beneficial role. I care about that more now.