How WTA's Second Gear Library is Helping One Group Get Outside

In August last year, WTA was excited to open the doors to a second gear library, located in Puyallup’s Meridian Habitat Park. We choose this location to help us better meet the needs of communities in the South Puget Sound region. And we’ve been thrilled to see groups already getting outside, with support from the new gear library.

Over the last 9 years, WTA’s Outdoor Leadership Training program, a program that gets school-age youth outside by empowering teachers and youth groups with the skills and resources they need to lead safe and fun outdoor experiences, has found success by making intentional connections within the community. With the start of the Seattle gear library in 2013, this second location, can reach even more community leaders and educators across the Puget Sound region. 

We’re delighted to have a second gear library to support educators, teachers and community members. As we’ve been settling into our new home for the second gear library, we’ve been excited to see how one school has almost immediately put the gear to good use.

All Saints Catholic and Holy Rosary Bilingual Catholic schools have been making using of the WTA gear library to help them get outside, including snowshoeing. Photo courtesy Roland Ramirez. 

All Saints Catholic and Holy Rosary Bilingual Catholic schools, located in Puyallup and Fife, serve a large population of the Latino and bilingual community in the Tacoma/Puyallup region. Roland Ramirez, a parent volunteer, recently attended an OLT hiking workshop to learn more about how to lead a group outdoors. He also wanted to learn how he and other school leaders could make getting outdoors easier for students, especially those who might not have had the chance before. Roland said that before connecting with the gear library for support they were only able to plan small outings with four to six kids. 

“We found that most kids didn't have the financial ability to purchase such basic equipment as hiking shoes, backpacks or sleeping bags, so we had to rely on donations from church parishioners, meaning a mixed bag of odds and ends,” Roland said. “Without the Pierce County gear library, we know it would be very difficult to plan hiking / camping events with the student population from both All Saints Catholic and Holy Rosary Bilingual Catholic schools due to the lack of outdoor equipment.”

Situations like these are why WTA created the Outdoor Leadership Training program. We want to provide the resources, curriculum, and hands-on experiential learning to set educators and new leaders up for safe, fun outdoor outings. 

Students got to learn skills such as knot tying and fire fire building on their outdoor trips. Photo courtesy Roland Ramirez. 

At the heart of these youth outings is the ability to “enjoy nature while at the same time gaining a knowledge of teamwork and togetherness.”  

Because of COVID, Roland and other All Saints staff really noticed how much kids benefit from social gatherings. Getting outdoors was a way to do that safely. Now, thanks to the second WTA gear library, the schools have been able to open up hiking and camping events to many more students.

Roland has found that, with the right gear, students feel more prepared and comfortable on these trips. Some skills the students and student mentors have worked on on their trips include setting up camp, tying knots, cooking outdoors and starting a fire with flint and steel. It was a fun and collaborative experience for all students and mentors to participate in together. And the students have gotten more excited about the outdoor trips of the past few months. Students have gone snowshoeing and even spent the night in snow shelters at Paradise on Mount Rainier. And more trips are coming. 

“With access to the gear library, we have decided to plan a 3-day, 2-night backpacking adventure for all of the graduating eighth graders from both schools to Cape Alava in May,” Roland said.

With access to WTA’s gear libraries and the added resources the Outdoor Leadership Training program provides, (skills training  and funding assistance) many more organizations, programs and schools, in the South Sound region, like All Saints Catholic and Holy Rosary Bilingual Catholic Schools, will be supported to lead youth in outdoor outings.

Sign up for gear orientation and workshops

You can learn more about the Outdoor Leadership Training program on our website. Our upcoming camping workshop on May 21 is still available for leaders to sign up and our next FREE online gear orientation is on May 26. Take a look at all our other upcoming 2022 workshops as well!