As a supplement to my professional and academic experiences, I am presenting the following documents. Many of them are geared towards my interests in outdoor and environmental education, while others are samples of my potential in content/brand marketing. I have been accumulating educational experience by leading outings for Northeastern University's Hus-skiers and Outing Club (NUHOC), volunteering for Boston-area youth programs, and working with the Appalachian Mountain Club. Working on them has allowed me to better understand and exercise theories of learning. They have also led me to explore some new methods that I, myself, have developed.
EDUCATION
Curriculum Manual for YOP Seasonal Staff
After working for the summer of 2016 as an experiential/outdoor educator for the Youth Opportunities Program, I proposed to my supervisors that we create a seasonal manual for new staff to aid their onboarding as their time at the organization is limited to either 3 or 6 months. The document also acts as a reference guide for these instructors while they're planning trips or in the field. Topics include information and instruction for Program Overview, Training, Outreach, Trips, Reporting and Retention, Work Plans, Location Fact Sheets, Sample Agendas, and more.
Programming Activity Guide for YOP Instructor Staff
This document was also made for the benefit of seasonal staff with little to no knowledge of outdoor programming, but can also serve as a resource for any outdoor instructor. The Activity Guide contains over 50 games and activities for youth that are particularly relevant and effective on outdoor adventures. They are broken down into categories with specific learning goals: Name Games, Icebreakers, Trail Games, Canoe Games, Natural Connections Activities, Night Hike Activities, Outdoor Skills, Riddles & Mysteries, Readings, etc.
Syllabus for Course in Outdoor Literature
This is a complete, mock syllabus for the proposed course above. It was drafted imagining myself as a teacher at an alternative high school in New England, nearby the locations stated. There, students typically go to class 3-4 days a week, then spend 1-2 days outdoors (tending to the school's farm, or going on outings). Combining of traditional classroom methods with experiential learning is aimed at developing both students' intellectual and practical skills. The Outdoor Literature course, more specifically, consists of 3 days of classwork in which students read and discuss major works of nature writing, combined with bi-weekly outings. The class is intended to promote the development of a variety of relationship-building skills, establishing connections with one's peers, one's environment, and one's self.
Curriculum Redesign for Youth Enrichment Services
As part of my work with the Youth Opportunities Program (YOP), I was sent to partner with Boston-based Youth Enrichment Services (YES), a group that leads skiing, kayaking, and rock climbing trips for urban youth. While I was on co-op, YOP was contacted by YES for a meeting to discuss common interests between the programs, and to propose some sort of partnership. I had suggested that a YOP staff attend a YES training weekend (for their volunteer ski instructors) and conduct an evaluation of their curriculum, in hopes of improving the program's efficiency. It was suggested that I go on the trip and take notes. After observing the training weekend, a successful meeting was held to begin re-developing the YES curriculum. A lasting partnership has been maintained as a result, and the creation of that new curriculum is ongoing.
NONPROFIT
2016 YMAP Grant Report
After being invited to extend my seasonal committment to YOP, I was tasked with creating a new, revamped version of our yearly YMAP grant report. YMAP (Youth Mountain Adventures Project) is an initiative composed of 3 separate trip styles, led by YOP staff for urban youth: Winter YMAP (a 3-day excursion in the snowy White Mountains), Summer YMAP (a 4-day, multi-sport excursion in Cardigan State Forest and neighboring Newfound Lake), and Local YMAP (a series of day trips mostly in the Boston metro area). I, personally was the instructor for Summer YMAP, and thus used the opportunity to create a report that was more anecdotal, charting unquantifiable successes alongside more traditional, data-driven ones. The report was then sent off to current and prospective funders.
RESEARCH (Academic, Unpublished)
“Work is play for mortal stakes”: A Culture of Labor in Frost’s Poetry
In my final undergraduate semester, I undertook an independent research project (under the guidance of Professor Theo Davis) with the hopes of understand how the history of America's environmental imagination has informed and been written into the poetry of Robert Frost. This paper focuses on a particular strain of Frost's work in which he presents various visions of laboring individuals. Through them, Frost locates the essences of humans creativity and originality, using those principles to explain inspiration for his own physical (and literary) labors.
Thoreau's Anecdotal Drawings: Environmental Materialism
The primary goal of this project is to create a database of illustrations from the journals of Henry David Thoreau--a remarkably untouched aspect of his massive oeuvre. The database will allow users to examine the drawings in various fashions other than chronologically. After the database is completed, I will be working on drafting a 10-minute presentation both introducing the project and looking at why Thoreau thinks there is a finite answer to questions about sustainable manipulation of the environment. This project was presented at the annual Thoreau Society gala (April 2016.)
Analysis and Critique of Traditional Practices in Outdoor/Environmental Education
This document was originally created as part of an advanced writing course during my undergraduate career. In it, I examine Simon Priest's seminal essay "Redefining Outdoor Education: A Matter of Many Relationships" (1980), and conduct a discourse analysis of the academic community that helped lay the foundation for models of outdoor education. Those early styles, however, have changed drastically. Initially geared towards running advanced expeditions for experienced students, outdoor education has expanded to include trips for less-experienced students, and to conduct outings with more of a focus on the environment rather than adventure. The field continues to adapt as its practices are brought to new communities. My critique--of Priest and of the outdoor education community at large--ends by offering a new definition of outdoor education and its methods, which is inclusive of some older forms as well as current ones.
Proposal and Lit Review: Outdoor Education
It has long been a dream of mine to run an Outdoor Literature course for students who might benefit from experiential learning methods late in their high school career (syllabus below). This proposal was drafted as justification and preliminary research for the course. It begins with a current definition and examination of outdoor and experiential education. A brief history and analysis of the dynamic nature of this field is also included. An annotated bibliography then helps to explain the need and benefits of such a course. Using a variety of sources (scholarly articles, course syllabi, poetry, and mission statements), it explains why I, personally, find the course valid and appropriate.
PRESS & COMMUNICATIONS
Freelance Publications for BevSpot
In the fall of 2016, I began freelance writing for BevSpot, a Boston-based start up that greats software for bar and restaurant managers. These pieces are used for both to market BevSpot's product and to serve as a resource for account holders. For my own part, these articles are inspired by my own time in the food & beverage industry, and they allow me to continue indulging in my passion for the culinary world as I pursue other career options.
YOP Leader--December 2014 [SAMPLE]
While working for the Youth Opportunities Program, I was responsible for creating a monthly newsletter, as well as other written and graphic communications, using Constant Contact as a platform. The YOP Leader is sent out to all YOP members, Appalachian Mountain Club staff, and grant providers to update them on past events and notify them of upcoming ones. Creating this newsletter required persuasive writing, thorough research and data crunching, understanding of program goals and practices, and basic photography.
Program Spotlight for Youth Opportunities Program
The Appalachian Mountain Club often includes "Program Spotlight" articles in their bimonthly magazine AMC Outdoors. The purpose of these spotlights is to excite members about some of the opportunities the club has to offer, to highlight and explain a new program, and to provoke interest in certain programs so that funders are attracted to these programs. This article, although written for a course and not actually published, serves the same function. It highlights the AMC's Youth Opportunities Program, a group that aims to provide urban youth with access to the outdoors by supporting youth workers who see outdoor experience as a viable extracurricular activity. The article explains the YOP model, its history, and (most importantly) its benefits to youth.
Op-Ed to Support Local Open Space Committee
This is a link to an op-ed written by me, and published by the Newburyport News in 2011. This particular selection proposes increased funding for the West Newbury Open Space Committee (WNOSC), who had recently cut over 10 miles of trail in local woods, and were struggling for approval to cut another 2 miles that would have linked up with other existing trail systems. WNOSC had just been denied by the town's board of selectmen, and were beginning to petition for legislation. Thus, my writing is geared towards a public, small town audience. The article is part advocacy, part creative piece. Written during my first month of college, the writing is a bit juvenile; but, I have included it to show my long-standing passion and engagement in outdoor matters.
EDUCATION
Curriculum Manual for YOP Seasonal Staff
After working for the summer of 2016 as an experiential/outdoor educator for the Youth Opportunities Program, I proposed to my supervisors that we create a seasonal manual for new staff to aid their onboarding as their time at the organization is limited to either 3 or 6 months. The document also acts as a reference guide for these instructors while they're planning trips or in the field. Topics include information and instruction for Program Overview, Training, Outreach, Trips, Reporting and Retention, Work Plans, Location Fact Sheets, Sample Agendas, and more.
Programming Activity Guide for YOP Instructor Staff
This document was also made for the benefit of seasonal staff with little to no knowledge of outdoor programming, but can also serve as a resource for any outdoor instructor. The Activity Guide contains over 50 games and activities for youth that are particularly relevant and effective on outdoor adventures. They are broken down into categories with specific learning goals: Name Games, Icebreakers, Trail Games, Canoe Games, Natural Connections Activities, Night Hike Activities, Outdoor Skills, Riddles & Mysteries, Readings, etc.
Syllabus for Course in Outdoor Literature
This is a complete, mock syllabus for the proposed course above. It was drafted imagining myself as a teacher at an alternative high school in New England, nearby the locations stated. There, students typically go to class 3-4 days a week, then spend 1-2 days outdoors (tending to the school's farm, or going on outings). Combining of traditional classroom methods with experiential learning is aimed at developing both students' intellectual and practical skills. The Outdoor Literature course, more specifically, consists of 3 days of classwork in which students read and discuss major works of nature writing, combined with bi-weekly outings. The class is intended to promote the development of a variety of relationship-building skills, establishing connections with one's peers, one's environment, and one's self.
Curriculum Redesign for Youth Enrichment Services
As part of my work with the Youth Opportunities Program (YOP), I was sent to partner with Boston-based Youth Enrichment Services (YES), a group that leads skiing, kayaking, and rock climbing trips for urban youth. While I was on co-op, YOP was contacted by YES for a meeting to discuss common interests between the programs, and to propose some sort of partnership. I had suggested that a YOP staff attend a YES training weekend (for their volunteer ski instructors) and conduct an evaluation of their curriculum, in hopes of improving the program's efficiency. It was suggested that I go on the trip and take notes. After observing the training weekend, a successful meeting was held to begin re-developing the YES curriculum. A lasting partnership has been maintained as a result, and the creation of that new curriculum is ongoing.
NONPROFIT
2016 YMAP Grant Report
After being invited to extend my seasonal committment to YOP, I was tasked with creating a new, revamped version of our yearly YMAP grant report. YMAP (Youth Mountain Adventures Project) is an initiative composed of 3 separate trip styles, led by YOP staff for urban youth: Winter YMAP (a 3-day excursion in the snowy White Mountains), Summer YMAP (a 4-day, multi-sport excursion in Cardigan State Forest and neighboring Newfound Lake), and Local YMAP (a series of day trips mostly in the Boston metro area). I, personally was the instructor for Summer YMAP, and thus used the opportunity to create a report that was more anecdotal, charting unquantifiable successes alongside more traditional, data-driven ones. The report was then sent off to current and prospective funders.
RESEARCH (Academic, Unpublished)
“Work is play for mortal stakes”: A Culture of Labor in Frost’s Poetry
In my final undergraduate semester, I undertook an independent research project (under the guidance of Professor Theo Davis) with the hopes of understand how the history of America's environmental imagination has informed and been written into the poetry of Robert Frost. This paper focuses on a particular strain of Frost's work in which he presents various visions of laboring individuals. Through them, Frost locates the essences of humans creativity and originality, using those principles to explain inspiration for his own physical (and literary) labors.
Thoreau's Anecdotal Drawings: Environmental Materialism
The primary goal of this project is to create a database of illustrations from the journals of Henry David Thoreau--a remarkably untouched aspect of his massive oeuvre. The database will allow users to examine the drawings in various fashions other than chronologically. After the database is completed, I will be working on drafting a 10-minute presentation both introducing the project and looking at why Thoreau thinks there is a finite answer to questions about sustainable manipulation of the environment. This project was presented at the annual Thoreau Society gala (April 2016.)
Analysis and Critique of Traditional Practices in Outdoor/Environmental Education
This document was originally created as part of an advanced writing course during my undergraduate career. In it, I examine Simon Priest's seminal essay "Redefining Outdoor Education: A Matter of Many Relationships" (1980), and conduct a discourse analysis of the academic community that helped lay the foundation for models of outdoor education. Those early styles, however, have changed drastically. Initially geared towards running advanced expeditions for experienced students, outdoor education has expanded to include trips for less-experienced students, and to conduct outings with more of a focus on the environment rather than adventure. The field continues to adapt as its practices are brought to new communities. My critique--of Priest and of the outdoor education community at large--ends by offering a new definition of outdoor education and its methods, which is inclusive of some older forms as well as current ones.
Proposal and Lit Review: Outdoor Education
It has long been a dream of mine to run an Outdoor Literature course for students who might benefit from experiential learning methods late in their high school career (syllabus below). This proposal was drafted as justification and preliminary research for the course. It begins with a current definition and examination of outdoor and experiential education. A brief history and analysis of the dynamic nature of this field is also included. An annotated bibliography then helps to explain the need and benefits of such a course. Using a variety of sources (scholarly articles, course syllabi, poetry, and mission statements), it explains why I, personally, find the course valid and appropriate.
PRESS & COMMUNICATIONS
Freelance Publications for BevSpot
In the fall of 2016, I began freelance writing for BevSpot, a Boston-based start up that greats software for bar and restaurant managers. These pieces are used for both to market BevSpot's product and to serve as a resource for account holders. For my own part, these articles are inspired by my own time in the food & beverage industry, and they allow me to continue indulging in my passion for the culinary world as I pursue other career options.
YOP Leader--December 2014 [SAMPLE]
While working for the Youth Opportunities Program, I was responsible for creating a monthly newsletter, as well as other written and graphic communications, using Constant Contact as a platform. The YOP Leader is sent out to all YOP members, Appalachian Mountain Club staff, and grant providers to update them on past events and notify them of upcoming ones. Creating this newsletter required persuasive writing, thorough research and data crunching, understanding of program goals and practices, and basic photography.
Program Spotlight for Youth Opportunities Program
The Appalachian Mountain Club often includes "Program Spotlight" articles in their bimonthly magazine AMC Outdoors. The purpose of these spotlights is to excite members about some of the opportunities the club has to offer, to highlight and explain a new program, and to provoke interest in certain programs so that funders are attracted to these programs. This article, although written for a course and not actually published, serves the same function. It highlights the AMC's Youth Opportunities Program, a group that aims to provide urban youth with access to the outdoors by supporting youth workers who see outdoor experience as a viable extracurricular activity. The article explains the YOP model, its history, and (most importantly) its benefits to youth.
Op-Ed to Support Local Open Space Committee
This is a link to an op-ed written by me, and published by the Newburyport News in 2011. This particular selection proposes increased funding for the West Newbury Open Space Committee (WNOSC), who had recently cut over 10 miles of trail in local woods, and were struggling for approval to cut another 2 miles that would have linked up with other existing trail systems. WNOSC had just been denied by the town's board of selectmen, and were beginning to petition for legislation. Thus, my writing is geared towards a public, small town audience. The article is part advocacy, part creative piece. Written during my first month of college, the writing is a bit juvenile; but, I have included it to show my long-standing passion and engagement in outdoor matters.