Best of luck to our 2021 Kerry Mackin Summer Educator Jacob Garland, pictured above with students from the Carlton School in Salem. We’ll miss having Jacob with us at Riverbend, but look forward to seeing all the amazing things he’s bound to do.
At a time like this it’s very easy to lose hope. Just as we emerged from the trials of our collective first year battling COVID-19, we are once again thrust into another evolving challenge, this time with increased uncertainty about the path we should take and the roles we should play. Our challenges, whether they be with COVID or protecting our beloved Ipswich River, endure. And in the intense heat of challenge, our little seeds of hope seem likely to rot long before they sprout.
I’ve spent the past few months working with IRWA to educate youth within the Ipswich River Watershed on the importance of the river as well as the ways we can protect it. I’ve loved creating lesson plans, scheduling a curriculum, and connecting with these kids. But if there’s one thing I’ve come to realize, it’s that the challenges we face in protecting our river and our water are incredibly strong: intense droughts, excessive water use, water pollution, and habitat destruction aren’t going anywhere any time soon.
But I also refuse to believe in a future in which our seeds of hope no longer exist. And after reaching over 500 kids from Lynn, Marblehead, Salem, Beverley, Danvers, North Andover, Andover, North Reading, Lynnfield, Peabody, and Lawrence, my hope for the future is more alive than ever. These kids possess a vitality stronger than any challenge we face. They are eager to learn and eager to help, and it is precisely that kind of energy that nourishes our little seeds of hope in the face of our greatest challenges.
As my time at IRWA comes to a close, I must admit that I’m thoroughly tempted to focus on the challenges all of us will face in the future. Our Ipswich River, now one of the most endangered rivers in the country, is in sore need of help. But nestled in the ground, sometimes beyond our notice, are our seeds of hope. They are planted not only in the next generation of river protectors — who I’ve been so privileged to teach — but in us as well. And I firmly believe that, with help from us all, they will flower into a future better than we ever could have imagined.
I can only hope that I’ve managed to inspire my students as much as they’ve inspired me. Thank you to them and thank you to IRWA for giving me this opportunity.
Here’s to a brighter future!
Jacob