What happens when a kid who has never camped, backpacked or visited Yosemite National Park steps off a bus and sees Yosemite Valley for the first time?

NatureBridge Yosemite Campus Director Corinne Dedini and Operations Manager Andrés Escalante join Sierra Rec Now host Charlie Pankey for a conversation about outdoor education, environmental science and the power of introducing young people to the outdoors.

NatureBridge brings thousands of students to Yosemite each year for immersive outdoor science and environmental education programs. Some arrive with years of family camping experience. Others have never slept outdoors, hiked in the wilderness or seen Yosemite despite growing up only hours away.

Andrés takes us inside WildLink, a collaborative wilderness program with NatureBridge, the National Park Service and Yosemite Conservancy that introduces young people to backpacking in Yosemite. For first-time backpackers, even the gear barrier is removed—students can be provided with boots, socks, clothing, sleeping bags and tents so they can simply show up and experience the wilderness.

But this conversation goes well beyond teaching kids how to backpack.

Corinne and Andrés talk about what happens when phones are put away, students begin noticing the small things around them and classmates who barely spoke at school suddenly spend a week hiking, learning and solving problems together.

We explore:

• Outdoor and environmental education in Yosemite National Park
• NatureBridge's Yosemite programs and WildLink
• First-time camping and backpacking experiences for young people
• Getting kids outdoors and away from screens
• Building confidence, courage and community through wilderness experiences
• Outdoor science, conservation and environmental stewardship
• Careers with the National Park Service, Forest Service and environmental sciences
• Why access and belonging matter in America's national parks

Andrés also shares the story of a quiet WildLink participant whose Yosemite experience eventually inspired a career with the Forest Service.

For Corinne, one of the most important lessons is helping young people cross what she calls the “courage line”—creating a place where they feel safe enough to take a risk, discover community and begin seeing themselves differently.

Sometimes the most memorable part of Yosemite isn't Half Dome or a giant waterfall. It might be seeing a squirrel, noticing a tree, putting your feet in the cold Merced River or realizing for the first time:

I belong here.