Page 58 - October 2019 FOP

John Kapusciarz, General Manager
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15th District officer takes youth on an outdoor adventure
n BY AMBER RAMUNDO
Officers in the 15th District wear many hats in the community while interact- ing with youth. They’re sports coaches, contest judges, youth mentors and, of course, community protectors. But on Sept. 14, Officer William Martinez took on a new role as lead officer of the de- partment’s first 24-hour Urban Camping excursion in Columbus Park.
The idea for the camping excursion came about when Martinez partnered with two representatives from the park district to complete the ChicaGO Explor- ers Front Country Leadership Training, which certifies leaders to help youth get outdoors. The training tested Marti- nez’s survival techniques in a different way than any CPD in-service training he was used to, by sending him into the woods to survive an overnight camping trip. After completing the training, Mar- tinez and the park district representa- tives were each given multiple tents and access to all the camping supplies they would need to lead any excursion.
Once certified, Martinez decided to put his knowledge and camping supplies to good use by planning an overnight outdoor event in the middle of the city he serves.
“A lot of our kids have never been camping,” said Martinez. “Why not give them the opportunity, by planning an urban camping trip, to give them a little bit of a taste for what it’s all about?”
The 24-hour Urban Camping adven- ture began at noon on Sept. 14, when children ranging in age from 10 to 17 ar- rived at Columbus Park with a sleeping bag, some clothing essentials and an ex-
citement that radiated across the camp- site. A total of 18 youth explorers and more than 50 other kids attended the camping trip that had an agenda packed with activities including games, obstacle courses, hiking and even a twilight glow party. Westside Police and Youth Sports Archery instructor and 15th District Of- ficer George Munoz also stopped by the campsite to teach the campers archery shooting techniques at a target. And when the sun went down, the campers took turns cooking their own dinners on the bonfire.
“Everyone cooked their own dinner,” Martinez shared. “We put a patty in alu- minum with potatoes and onions and cooked it on the fire.”
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15th District officers took turns on their watch monitoring the campsite throughout the night to ensure the safe- ty of the campsite and get the chance to interact with youth on a new level. For Martinez, the best part of the camping excursion was allowing the kids to get to know him without the uniform and giv- ing youth a new experience in the out- doors, one they’ll never forget.
“The kids saw me and knew I was an officer, but then I was also the guy help- ing them set up their tent,” Martinez noted. “It was such a good experience to have the kids meet each other and for the police explorers to help out the other kids.”
58 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2019
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