CHOCOWINITY — Thursday was the first day of the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation’s Youth Kayaking Program. Nearly 10 teens from the Boys & Girls Club of Beaufort County were taught how to kayak around Chocowinity Bay.

Lydia Robertson, an intern at PTRF, is overseeing the program and teaching local children how to kayak.

The idea behind the clinic is to give children who don’t have the means to learn how to kayak, the opportunity to get on the waterways.

“We just want them to have the experience and to get out on the water,” Robertson said. “Kids grow up in Washington, and they know and see the river, but they don’t get the experience of getting out on the river.”

PTRF is also educating the children about the environmental, along with getting them outside, experiencing nature.

Shantaja Brown, one of the teens at the program, said she liked learning about the amphibians in the water and why the river has a brown color.

“I hope to do this again this summer,” Brown said.

Washington teen Kevin Moore had his first kayak experience. Moore said he thought it was scary when he first got out on to the water.

Another student making her first trip on to the water was Jaikesa Ganus, who said she would enjoy doing it again even though she fell out of the boat.

“My friend bumped into me while I was paddling and I fell into the water,” Ganus said.

“Once they got out to the bay, they got overwhelmed since they weren’t quite ready for it,” Robertson said. “They just got a little worked up.”

PTRF is hosting 12 daylong Youth Kayaking clinics throughout the summer and is expecting 200 children and teens to participate.