Sierra Club San Gorgonio Chapter to Present 'Sprog Perspectives'

On Feb. 4, the San Gorgonio Chapter of the Sierra Club will have their monthly meeting at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands at 7:30 p.m. The program is titled “Sprog Perspectives: Sierra Club’s Summer Grassroots Activist Training Program” and it will be presented by the 2013 Sprog (student program) trainees Maro Kakoussian, Opamago Agyemang and Jasmine Kavesade, assisted by Jono Hildner, San Gorgonio Chapter political chair. They will share the experiences they had at the intensive seven-day Sprog training; what they learned and what they will do with their new organizing skills. The three young people from Riverside attended the Southwest Sprog training in August 2013. The San Gorgonio Chapter sponsored them. Sprog, short for “summer program,” is the training for organizers conducted by the Sierra Student Coalition (SSC), the Sierra Club’s organization for young people. Sprog is intended for youth from high school age through young adulthood. It is an intensive seven-day session that gives young activists the tools they need to launch and lead winning campaigns for change, gets them connected to supportive networks, and develops their potential as leaders. The young people sent by the San Gorgonio Chapter say, “Sprog was indeed a life changer for the three of us.” The Southwest Sprog was held at Camp Oliver in the mountains 40 miles east of San Diego in August 2013. Each summer, regional Sprogs are held at several locations across the country. Kavesade is completing work at UC Riverside for a bachelor’s degree, majoring in psychology and minoring in environmental science. She is co-president of Sustainable UCR, one of the largest environmental groups on campus, and sits on two committees for the UCR Green Campus Action Plan. After graduation she plans to be an environmental community organizer in the Inland Empire. She says that growing up in the Inland Empire, she has always had an affinity for nature. “...I find solace and have a deep sense of protection for this planet and that's why I would like to start organizing and eventually start my own organization involving sustainability, particularly around stopping pollution.” Agyemang has been an activist for seven years. He moved to Riverside two years ago from Ithaca, New York. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in philosophy. Agyemang works with Kavesade and Sierra Club organizer Allen Hernandez on “My Generation”, the Sierra Club’s Southern California campaign promoting rooftop solar power and other clean energy strategies. Jono Hildner is a retired human services administrator from Clackamas County, Ore. He served twice as Oregon State Health Division director. He is a long-time hiker and whitewater rafter now living in Palm Desert. Political chair of the Tahquitz Group and the San Gorgonio Chapter, he has been active in the Sierra Club for the past six years. Hildner ran the successful “Save Our Mountains” campaign to stop a massive resort development on the alluvial fan below the Palm Springs Arial Tram in Chino Canyon. All are welcome to attend the meeting. Parking and admission are free but donations are accepted for room rental. The San Bernardino County Museum is located at 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands. Exit California Street from I-10 Freeway in Redlands.