The Watersmith Journal
Adaptation - A Recap of First Waves 2020
The endeavor of running rivers, especially ones strewn with whitewater, is a practice in adaptation. The best looking lines don’t always work out, and plan B or C are often called on for relief. Something as small as a light bump with an unseen rock can alter a smooth descent into a sideways and backwards gauntlet like ballet in combat boots. While style and grace are admired, the important thing is getting to the bottom in one piece. In the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, education and youth experiences edged beyond a light bump with a stone. In many cases, it was as if the entire river disappeared beneath them. For the First Waves program to continue working with youth in the Johnstown area, the mindset of adaptability needed to be fully embraced.
Contours - Official Film Premiere
Contours is the latest film project by First Waves, a program that inspires conservation through the art of filmmaking and the pursuit of river surfing and paddleboarding.
UPSTREAM - Official Online Launch
A MUST WATCH! You can now view the First Waves film, Upstream, online. This film shows the devastating impact that pollution and industry can have on watersheds and outdoors recreation. It also shows the benefits of cleaner water and how First Waves’ students and volunteers are taking an active role in the Greater Johnstown region in order to influence a watershed that extends to Pittsburgh and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. Upstream is an inspiring showcase of how a group of kids can inspire all of us to get outside and protect the water that connects us all.
UPSTREAM - Film Premiere
The events of the First Waves Johnstown program in July of 2018 imbued a sense of urgency and amplified passion for everyone in attendance. A pollution event upstream of the program site resulted in water that was too tarnished to proceed with the paddleboarding and whitewater activities for local teens. Students that wouldn’t otherwise have the means or opportunities to experience the river were on deck for their first paddling experiences. Instead, they focused on the other aspect of the First Waves workshop – filmmaking. They learned to document what they were experiencing and create a film that could influence others to take an interest in watershed conservation. Their film, Upstream, does exactly that.
Breaking Waves at Mount Ararat
Nestled in the urban sprawl of Pittsburgh’s East End, The Mount Ararat Community Activity Center provides innovative programs and experiential learning to the area’s families and youth. Earlier this summer, the Center debuted a new program for a select group of students, part of which involved teaching them to surf in whitewater rivers. While surfing might be the last thing many think of in this landlocked region of Pittsburgh, that is exactly what Mentorship Director, Dr. Charles Howell, has brought to the Center through partnership with a local organization called, First Waves.
A "MONSTER" ADDITION TO FIRST WAVES PROGRAM
The river wave at Greenhouse Park is little more than a pile of foam during the hot month of July in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Stonycreek River is the tamest version of itself and instead of whitewater enthusiasts, the park attracts sunbathers, tubers, and swimmers to its shores. What most have overlooked, however, is this wave’s potential as a training ground for the area’s youth to become river enthusiasts. When presented in the right way, the wave can capture the attention of teenagers better than the latest X-box and carve a path for outdoor recreation and education that is widely available but pervasively ignored. This is exactly what the First Waves Johnstown Program is able to provide to underserved youth in the area.