Photos taken from https://www.kernprobation.com/youth-facilities/camp-owen/
I recently visited Camp Erwin Owen, a 65-bed forestry camp for youth aged 14-18. At Camp Owen, young men who have committed delinquent crimes can reclaim their youthful identity while learning accountable course correction.
Jeremy Roberts, Camp Owen Division Director; Jason Hillis, Assistant Division Director; Ryan Merkle, Camp Owen educator and 2024 Whiskey Flat Mayor (River Rat Ryan); and Jim Gordon, a longtime Kern Valley business owner of the Kernville Saloon and resident, participated in this experience, demonstrating their love for the outdoors and why they are helping guide the next generation.
Camp Owen is a special place, where working hard and playing hard are part of the formula for guiding the youth so they can become active participants in society, no longer defined by their past.
“The work hard embodies working on oneself, growing as a leader, always learning in life and school, and giving back to the community through servitude. We think this is the winning recipe,” states Jeremy Roberts.
Part of Owen’s success is attributed to the beauty of the Kern River Valley, which is why the local community supports its Camp Outdoor Education Project (C.O.E.P). C.O.E.P, a project-based learning program, incorporates the Universal Design for Learning so that each child can glean lessons from the program and incorporate them into their personal lives.
C.O.E.P. engages Camp Owen’s mindset of “stewardship, servitude, and education,” allowing for an educational transfer by creating a healthy mindset of caring about one’s life, neighborhood, and community.
Camp Owen’s mindset encourages youth to become community-focused and asks them to leave their community better than they found it. The staff and youth at Owen are responsible for local trail conservation, ecosystem restoration, and trash removal from trails, riverbanks, and forests. Camp Owen actively participates in other Kern River Valley events like the Whiskey Flat Days and food distributions.
Jason Hillis mentioned that Owen’s goal is to take at-risk youth, introduce them to healthy habits and hard work, and foster a sense of accountability. The staff at Owen incorporates the role of model and mentor for the youth, leading the youth to do well.
Hillis states, “Over four to six months, you put 20 pounds on them, show them the value of a hard day’s work, the value and importance of respecting others, and they get caught up on credits in school”.
John Merkle, C.O.E.P instructor, provides a mentor role, educating the kids about their role in the environment and how Leave No Trace transcends beyond the classroom and the forest. Leave No Trace states that we are to leave an area better than we found it or how to be stewards for the community, showing that we are part of something larger than ourselves.
As a working farm, Camp Owen grows and raises its food. With hogs, chickens, eggs, and an impressive garden, the youth can be immersed in the outdoors while learning new life lessons that farm work offers discipline, commitment, and stewardship.
C.O.E.P. is an incentive-based program that fosters youth to do well and experience the play-hard part of life.
Merkle states that some of Camp Owen’s success is “letting kids rediscover what it is to be a kid.”
The youth in C.O.E.P earn the privilege of participating in fly fishing, hiking, and camping to experience the beauty of the Kern and feel the power of something larger than themselves—the Kern’s magic has many secrets for good living.
For me and the Owen staff, the Kern offers a chance to slow down and reflect on what it means to be an active participant in our lives and allows us to find new ways for personal growth. So, it makes sense to share this with the next generation by fostering a sense of stewardship, “the careful and responsible management of something.”
Camp Owen’s C.O.E.P., the outdoors, restorative living, and personal growth are creating community-minded individuals who are learning to manage their own lives responsibly so they can positively affect their surroundings.
Chris Brown, co-owner of Whitewater Voyages, a Kernville-based whitewater rafting company, says he “loves to support Camp Owen because they’re doing their important work. The outdoors can help someone figure out their lives. And if I can do anything to help someone figure out their life, I want to help”.
Whitewater Voyages supported River Rat Ryan’s 2024 mayoral campaign for Whiskey Flat Mayor, with donations going to Camp Owen. Whitewater Voyages donated rafting trips for the Whiskey Flat’s Mayoral Raffel, where community members participated in a chance to go rafting and support Camp Owen’s mission.
Community donations fund the activities Owen’s Camp Outdoor Education Project participates in, such as fishing, camping, hiking, and whitewater rafting.
Probation Auxiliary of the County of Kern (P.A.C.K) is a non-profit that provides youth with materials and services not included in the tax-supported budget for Juvenile Services. These include recreational necessities for juveniles.
Roberts states, “Our non-profit, P.A.C.K, one hundred percent goes to the youth. If donors specify Camp Owen Account, this goes straight to Camp and funds the play hard part of C.O.E.P.”
Jim Gordon, a massive supporter of Owen’s mission, believes that “kids can make a difference if they’re shown compassion.”
Jeremy Roberts says that Camp Owen is welcome to volunteers, who want to help the next generation. So, if you have skills that you feel the next generation should know or want to speak to the youth and share your testimony, you can contact the Camp Owen office, at 760-376-8500, so you can begin helping the next generation succeed.
I have been invited to join Camp Owen on their next hiking adventure and am looking forward to reporting back about my experience.
Remember my friends to Leave No Trace.
