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"For Some, For None" an I-YEL production 2006

Using footage from a 7-day road trip from San Francisco to Yosemite and Grand Canyon National Parks, Inspiring Young Emerging Leaders (I-YEL) interns from the Crissy Field Center created a 19-minute film exploring visitation of national parks by minority groups, especially urban youth of color.  From their investigation and reflection, high school interns grew to understand that in order for people to care about national parks, they must also care about their own communities and that national parks are only relevant if they connect to everyday issues.  In this powerful video, you will see how these interns are turning the environmental stereotype on its head and redefining who is an environmental leader

Crissy Field Center programs encourage new generations to become bold leaders for thriving parks, healthy communities and a more environmentally just society.
We would like to acknowledge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pottruck Family Foundation and Salesforce.com/Foundation for their generous support of I-YEL.  I-YEL and other programs at the Crissy Field Center are made possible by 12,103 members of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. 

The Crissy Field Center located on the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco is a partnership of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the National Park Service

Check out pictures from out ROAD TRIP to

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

YEL Project Mission Statement

We as I-YEL will enlighten others about the connections among consumerism, natural resources, and the media. By informing people about the cost of consumerism, we will inspire others to break the cycle, while exposing the secrets of the media. We will show other consumers our tremendous effects on the environment and urge others to conduct ways of changing it. We will influence everyone to first question where their products really come from, secondly to think about if the products they are buying are really essential, and finally to consider if they want to become a slave to consumerism.

Overview

People pay taxes and that's how our society works, but do you know where your money goes to? A percentage of the taxes that everyone pays go to National Parks. If everyone pays for National Parks and everyone owns them why doesn't anyone want to visit their National Parks? If more people connected with their environment, and considered themselves as environmentalist's people would visit their parks more often.
All across the country less and less people are visiting their National Parks. Visitation by communities of color has always been a problem. This is an injustice. National parks are supposed to be owned and used by everyone; however this is a memo that not every community has received it. National parks should reflect all people. I-YEL believe that stewardship for national parks and stewardship for urban communities are connected. You can't expect someone to care about national parks if they don't care about their community. National parks need to be more visible to the general public. Traditionally those who visit national parks have been privileged to have the means and knowledge of how to use them. If the image of the national park was rearranged so that minorities could call it THEIR park, maybe you'd see more diversity in the parks. But how can they call it THEIR park when they can't even call where they live, their environment?

What We Did

The 2006-2007 I-YEL team was made up of all returning interns. We started the year with 13 interns already understanding the mission of the Crissy field center, Parks Conservancy, and the National Parks Service. Interns were able to jump right into decision making. Early on it was decided to celebrate I-YEL's 5 year anniversary by producing a video that would be based on a trip to a national park. The video would:
"Inspire others to be stewards of their National Parks and stewards of their environment
"Close the gap between urban communities and the environmental movement.
"Inspire the National Park Service to reevaluate it's meaning to all communities and help all communities reevaluate what National Parks mean to them.
"Explore environmentalism and what it means for people of different backgrounds to define their Environment.
Interns had to first decide what national park to visit. Interns spent hours researching and debating on what National Park would best help them produce a video that would fit their goals. In the end the interns decide that visiting Yosemite National Park and the Grand Canyon would be like visiting the heart of the traditional environmentalism. It was at these sites that they could explore why the diversity in the visitors and stewardship is a problem. It would also be the most powerful backdrop them to express themselves.

How We Got There

Throughout the year interns explored and gained deep understanding of the bay area national park sites which included visits and talks about Point Bonita in Marin Headlands, Ocean Beaches Cultural and Natural History, Rosie the Riveter in Richmond California, and a special walk along the Presidio that covered some of the unknown tragedies in the parks history. Each talk was to expose interns to non traditional national park stories. These stories might be ones that would interest non traditional park users. Interns coordinate their trip with a similar mind frame. They wanted to experience the national parks the way their communities would experience them. They would spend 3 days in Yosemite. They decided to spend one night camping and one night in a hostel. They met two rangers who work to make Yosemite more accessible and appealing to non traditional park users. From Barstow, California, interns too Amtrak to the historic Grand Canyon rail way where they saw a live shoot out and train robbery. Other activities included bike riding, hiking, and star gazing

Our Attire

We wanted a visual symbol for redefining environmentalism. With the help from a former I-YEL intern, we designed shirts that expressed the need to rethink who should be called an environmentalist. On the front of the shirts in bold letters read "I'm An Environmentalist". With a symbolic tree in the middle on the back were individualized statements such as "I eat Meat", "I love to dive", and "I don't hug trees". In an attempt to break the stereotypes of environmentalist, we wanted people to know that to be an environmentalist didn't mean you had to fit in to a box. We believe that being an environmentalist means caring for your surrounding and using a sustainable conscious in your everyday life.

The Production

Using footage from their 7 day road trip, interns developed a 19 minute film about redefining environmentalism while connecting caring for the environment and national parks to their communities. Interns grew to understand that in order to get all communities to care for national parks, their communities must care about their environment. The video is another example of how I-YEL interns have connected national parks to community environmental issues and connect their communities to their national parks.

Below are two poems written and preformed by I-YEL interns during our road trip. Please come back soon to view our Video "For Some, For None".

Ignorance is alive // it`s defined by the people who let the issues in this world pass them by // The issues undelt with can never be solved if enough people don’t feel the need to try // Some people might question the importance of our earth but us as a team I-YEL know its true worth // Don’t talk about it be about it // its what I-YEL is all about // we don’t just say what we think // we shout it out // An injustice any where is an injustice everywhere // my environment // you`re environment // is our environment // take care of you`re environment not like you own it but like your apart of it // if you`re not part of the solution you`re part of the problem // you cant ask questions // if you`re not ready to solve them // this world with out you`re help // is like an ocean with out depth // if all the knowledge and the environmentalists left // it would be up to you to take the next step

We come from backgrounds of different colors // a place where our roots all connect each other // we come from a place where people would rather lead than follow // knowing that there’s hope for a better tomorrow // we are youth fighting for a change, hoping that environmentalism gains a new name // we are the people who shatter your image of environmentalism // bring you a new redefined version of it // we are here [where?] here // to escape the city life & smell the smoke free air // because we are down for an adventure // we are here [where?] here to see the environment with our own eyes // discover ourselves and come out as better people // we are here , We ARE HERE, WE ARE HERE because we want to be // so why are you here?