13 Jul Reaching the Community!

Recently at The Castillo de San Marcos, our community outreach team has come together with other departments, and has been able to start reaching out to different audiences of all ages!

Our most recent community outreach has been with our Parks law enforcement team. We helped them by setting up and run fishing ethically programs, the picture above displays our booth at the, Saint Augustine torch run for the Special Olympics. Castillo, provided a small area in a local park alongside the city and county law enforcement where we set up our contact station. At this event not only could the visitors speak to the law enforcement but could also interact with rangers from the park as well. With everything set up we were able to hand out Jr. Angler badges, books, and teach kids how to fish with a game we call backyard bass. With many of the visitors excited and wanting to join in the activities our team and our fellow law enforcement officers were able to reach out to the community in many different ways. Including having a few deputies from St. Johns county come and try our game out!

Secondly, our team has begun reaching out to our summer schools and rec centers in hopes to bring more visitation and make connections by bringing the field trip to them. We plan on doing this by going into these summer schools and reenacting a colonist and a Spanish soldier to bring the students closer to the history of Saint Augustine and encourage the kids to visit the national parks that are just down the street from them. After our programs at the summer schools and rec centers they can earn one of the National Parks Jr. explorer or Jr. Ranger badge’s! By introducing Jr. explorer badges we are not only giving them a piece to remember us by but hopefully encouraging and motivating them and their families to visit the fort and earn as many badges as they can around America!

Our team strives to make connections with everyone we meet and get them excited about our programs from fishing, science and history. We want them to have fun. Having fun allows the kids to feel free and ask questions, which opens their minds to expand their knowledge!