Nicole Ardila
In Las Cruces, there’s no shortage of places to hike or take in the beautiful nature — and the City of Las Cruces came up with “Paint your Path,” a program to get teens outside this summer.
The idea sparked after the Young Park mass shooting, and the city wanted to give teens a place to express their artistic skills in a place that’s not only safe — but beautiful.
They have 7 total hikes planned for the summer program where every Tuesday, they go to a different park, explore nature and paint the scenery.
The following is a list of the dates and parks planned for the summer program:
June 10: Tortugas Mountain via Turtle Trail, Tortugas Mountain.
June 17: Picacho Canyon Trail Loop, Picacho Peak Recreation Area, Picacho Mountain Loop North.
June 24: Ridge Line and Discovery Trail, Ridgeline Trailhead, Permian Tracks Road.
July 1: Veterans Park Trail Loop, 1251 N. Roadrunner Parkway.
July 8: Soledad West Ridge Loop, 13300 Soledad Canyon Road.
July 15: Bar Canyon Trail, 13300 Soledad Canyon Road.
July 22: Mesilla Valley Bosque Trail, 5000 Calle Del Norte.
The paintings are not instruction based, the kids can come out and pick a scene they’d like to express themselves with — and they welcome kids with all skills.
“We’re all in this together, no matter if you’re entry level or your plan is to be an art major,” says Aaron Peña, City of Las Cruces Recs Services Coordinator. “We want you to come out here and express yourself and do it in a way that’s fun and nature based.”
The coordinator explains why this program is so important for Las Cruces teens…
“We are living in the era of iPad kids, and it’s a lot tougher these days to get a kid to go outside and go and play, you know, experience the outdoors. And in this sense, there at least be a group. And it’s a group based effort. We don’t want anyone to feel alone while they’re here.
The hikes will start at 8 a.m. and Peña says they hope to end it by noon.
They accept a maximum of 20 kids per day ages 13 to 17— with a $24 registration fee that covers the art supplies and a snack lunch.
You can register for the program on their website here.
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