Jen Rubbo, Director of Vassar’s Environmental Cooperative, recently received a new grant from the City of Poughkeepsie to fund transportation for both the Outing Club and this summer’s Exploring Science program. Both programs collaborate with already-established, Poughkeepsie-based youth programs, and transportation funding is vital to ensuring access for participants from across the area.

The Poughkeepsie Outing Club is an after-school program for Poughkeepsie high school students that engages them in outdoor recreation, teambuilding opportunities, outdoor safety training, and healthy habits. Each week, students help choose and take a short hike followed by a shared meal. Participants have access to free hiking gear and are able to explore Vassar’s Preserve as well as local state or county parks.

The summer Exploring Science program benefits K-12 youth in the City of Poughkeepsie. Students visit the Preserve as well as local parks, and the program includes outdoor activities and nature-based games, arts and crafts, and a healthy snack. The Vassar Barns allows for programming, rain or shine, and all activities encourage participants to “think like a scientist” by increasing their observational skills and asking good questions. Children who attend learn about the ecology of the local area through hands-on experiences and, more recently, they can also spend time climbing on logs, building forts, splashing in puddles, and relaxing in hammocks in the Environmental Cooperative’s new nature exploration area, the Learning Forest.