Last updated: September 3, 2026
Article
Event Recap – Voices of Our Youth at 250: Journeys & Park Connections for Future Generations
NPS Photo
To celebrate National Park Week, the National Park Service’s 110th birthday, and the 250th anniversary of the United States, the National Park Service Youth and Young Adult Programs Office co-hosted its fifth annual virtual event with the National Park Foundation and The Corps Network on "Voices of Our Youth at 250: Journeys & Park Connections for Future Generations." The event highlighted interns, volunteers, and corps member participants. Attendees heard directly from youth leaders about their work, its impact, and their personal and professional connections to national parks.
Moderator Lucy Hurlbut, the National Park Service Youth and Young Adult Programs Outreach Specialist, welcomed attendees. She highlighted how national parks are more than what you see right in front of you. “Altogether we're preserving the history and heritage of these areas. We have more than 400 national parks and many different types, from national parks to recreation areas, battlefields, seashores, and anything in between,” she said.
People visit parks for many different reasons. Some might have grown up going to national parks right near them while others are just discovering them for the first time. For Frank Barrows, Deputy Associate Director for Volunteers, Community Engagement, and Commemorations, he remembers sledding in White Sands National Park as a child. Later, he was an intern for the National Park Service and has been here for 25 years. He shared, “I'm a living example of how transformative youth and young adult programs can open up doors to lifelong adventures and meaningful service. I'm proof that every opportunity that we provide can spark a new passion and shape a future dedicated to our public lands.”
Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President & CEO at The Corps Network (TCN), highlighted that more than 22,000 young people are serving in service and conservation corps across the country, with more than 140 corps organizations. Tracey Ritchie, Vice President for Programs & Partnerships - Education and Engagement with the National Park Foundation (NPF), announced that NPF had provided $5.5 million in youth service projects in its most recent round of funding requests. She echoed others in sharing that she would have engaged with national parks sooner if she had known about the opportunities while growing up. “I interned in nature centers and zoos for a little bit, but if I knew you could work in a national park for a summer, semester, or a year, I wish I could go back and do things differently,” she reflected.
After the welcoming remarks, the youth panelists highlighted their experiences. The panel included Logan Reabuck (American Conservation Experience); Conner Dube (Friends of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park); Sash Newton (Student Conservation Association); and Sarah Treska (Environment for the Americas). They answered a series of questions: the moment for them that sparked an interest in national parks, each person’s pathway to their current position, the lasting impact of the work being done going back to the original Civilian Conservation Corps, and what the audience could do to be better stewards of national parks.
Logan loved history growing up. When he decided to join the Marine Corps, he fell in love with the traditional trades as well. That opportunity led him to his current internship position as a Traditional Trades Advancement Program member at Andrew Johnson National Historic Site. Sarah Treska thought she wanted to work with horses, but then she decided to study biology. This education helped her discover the Fish and Feathers internship program at Cape Cod National Seashore.
While some decisions are more planned, sometimes an accidental happening can lead you to something unexpected. This was the case for Sash Newton. In his senior year of high school, he thought he was in an EMT class, and instead found himself in a fire science class that he loved. Through his Structural Fire Protection internship, he expressed, “I never knew I would be working at a national park. It's probably the most amazing thing I could ever want.” Conner Dube was visiting Hawai’i with his family where he discovered Hawai’I Volcanoes National Park. When a position opened up for him to lead a youth crew with the Guardian of the Trails Program, he accepted.
The Q&A session brought different perspectives to the conversation, including the importance of partnerships, community, education, and being curious. The park’s significance for each of the panelists ranged. Logan noted that “As a veteran, we have the national cemetery [at Andrew Johnson]. And I feel a little more deeper connection to it.” For Conner, it was the connection to the people he meets on the trails that inspires him. He sees them witness a volcanic eruption for perhaps the only time in their life. The work these youth are doing are also improving the visitor experience. Sarah appreciated being able to lead outreach events related to fishing and birding. Sash later learned that his grandfather had visited Mesa Verde National Park, so the experience crossed generations.
Throughout the conversation, it was clear there are many ways people hear about national parks and how to engage with them: through family, friends, internships, volunteering, jobs, word of mouth, and online. The youth explained how they were able to apply what they were learning in school to the real world. There were additional developmental opportunities that took them to different national parks and national events, like the Scouting America Jamboree.
A common theme throughout the event was the courage to say “yes” to an opportunity, not knowing what they were signing up for. What they found was so much more than just a job. It was a well-rounded experience that allowed them to have a lasting impact on the park, their community, and themselves.
Frank left the audience with the importance of how “Sharing your stories helps us to raise awareness of the different ways people can contribute to their national parks and work in their national parks, explore, and advance the mission.”
Have a question about Youth or Young Adult Programs? Please e-mail us. Learn more about what we do. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Moderator Lucy Hurlbut, the National Park Service Youth and Young Adult Programs Outreach Specialist, welcomed attendees. She highlighted how national parks are more than what you see right in front of you. “Altogether we're preserving the history and heritage of these areas. We have more than 400 national parks and many different types, from national parks to recreation areas, battlefields, seashores, and anything in between,” she said.
People visit parks for many different reasons. Some might have grown up going to national parks right near them while others are just discovering them for the first time. For Frank Barrows, Deputy Associate Director for Volunteers, Community Engagement, and Commemorations, he remembers sledding in White Sands National Park as a child. Later, he was an intern for the National Park Service and has been here for 25 years. He shared, “I'm a living example of how transformative youth and young adult programs can open up doors to lifelong adventures and meaningful service. I'm proof that every opportunity that we provide can spark a new passion and shape a future dedicated to our public lands.”
Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President & CEO at The Corps Network (TCN), highlighted that more than 22,000 young people are serving in service and conservation corps across the country, with more than 140 corps organizations. Tracey Ritchie, Vice President for Programs & Partnerships - Education and Engagement with the National Park Foundation (NPF), announced that NPF had provided $5.5 million in youth service projects in its most recent round of funding requests. She echoed others in sharing that she would have engaged with national parks sooner if she had known about the opportunities while growing up. “I interned in nature centers and zoos for a little bit, but if I knew you could work in a national park for a summer, semester, or a year, I wish I could go back and do things differently,” she reflected.
After the welcoming remarks, the youth panelists highlighted their experiences. The panel included Logan Reabuck (American Conservation Experience); Conner Dube (Friends of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park); Sash Newton (Student Conservation Association); and Sarah Treska (Environment for the Americas). They answered a series of questions: the moment for them that sparked an interest in national parks, each person’s pathway to their current position, the lasting impact of the work being done going back to the original Civilian Conservation Corps, and what the audience could do to be better stewards of national parks.
Logan loved history growing up. When he decided to join the Marine Corps, he fell in love with the traditional trades as well. That opportunity led him to his current internship position as a Traditional Trades Advancement Program member at Andrew Johnson National Historic Site. Sarah Treska thought she wanted to work with horses, but then she decided to study biology. This education helped her discover the Fish and Feathers internship program at Cape Cod National Seashore.
While some decisions are more planned, sometimes an accidental happening can lead you to something unexpected. This was the case for Sash Newton. In his senior year of high school, he thought he was in an EMT class, and instead found himself in a fire science class that he loved. Through his Structural Fire Protection internship, he expressed, “I never knew I would be working at a national park. It's probably the most amazing thing I could ever want.” Conner Dube was visiting Hawai’i with his family where he discovered Hawai’I Volcanoes National Park. When a position opened up for him to lead a youth crew with the Guardian of the Trails Program, he accepted.
The Q&A session brought different perspectives to the conversation, including the importance of partnerships, community, education, and being curious. The park’s significance for each of the panelists ranged. Logan noted that “As a veteran, we have the national cemetery [at Andrew Johnson]. And I feel a little more deeper connection to it.” For Conner, it was the connection to the people he meets on the trails that inspires him. He sees them witness a volcanic eruption for perhaps the only time in their life. The work these youth are doing are also improving the visitor experience. Sarah appreciated being able to lead outreach events related to fishing and birding. Sash later learned that his grandfather had visited Mesa Verde National Park, so the experience crossed generations.
Throughout the conversation, it was clear there are many ways people hear about national parks and how to engage with them: through family, friends, internships, volunteering, jobs, word of mouth, and online. The youth explained how they were able to apply what they were learning in school to the real world. There were additional developmental opportunities that took them to different national parks and national events, like the Scouting America Jamboree.
A common theme throughout the event was the courage to say “yes” to an opportunity, not knowing what they were signing up for. What they found was so much more than just a job. It was a well-rounded experience that allowed them to have a lasting impact on the park, their community, and themselves.
Frank left the audience with the importance of how “Sharing your stories helps us to raise awareness of the different ways people can contribute to their national parks and work in their national parks, explore, and advance the mission.”
Have a question about Youth or Young Adult Programs? Please e-mail us. Learn more about what we do. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.