How a Community of Peers, who Love the Outdoors Makes an Impact
Youth workers who love the outdoors make an amazing community of people. That community becomes the biggest asset that our member programs bring to their regions. But those communities have to be cultivated, and supported. At Bay Area Wilderness Training, it is!
True story: I've never met a group of youth workers and teachers, who love the outdoors that I didn't love. I was reminded this spring at a BAWT Frontcountry Leadership Training, of how terrific this combination of character traits is: playfulness, passion for the outdoors, and pure optimistic enthusiasm for life -all character traits that help you when working with teens.
Jen Antonuccio, a long time BAWT faculty (volunteer instructor) makes sure the tents dry out post course in the BAWT gear library.
Along with two other experienced instructors, I got the chance to work with people that were truly inspired to take their youth outdoors. They took to curriculum like kids in a candy-shop, digging in and trying all they could get their hands on. They learned how to build fires with a flint, and wood shavings they had made themselves. They lead us in games that allowed us to use all our senses. They slept in tents, in the rain, and didn't complain once.
At least some of these newly trained leaders were chomping at the bit to get further involved in the BAWT community. And that is where the community of supportive peers part of all this is found. BAWT has figured out how to connect these youth workers and teachers to each other. They volunteer on each other's trips, they post to a Yahoo Group (yes it's a list serve started in 2000 and has almost 1,000 members) and get each other's advice, ideas, job postings, etc.
Many youth workers and teachers work in isolation. These communities, supported by our member programs, break that isolation, and remind people they are not alone in their work, which often goes above and well beyond their basic job descriptions.
Youth workers who love the outdoors make an amazing community of people. That community becomes the biggest asset that our member programs bring to their regions. But those communities have to be cultivated, and supported. At Bay Area Wilderness Training, it is!
More pics on our facebook page
Eastside Prep
Kimberly McMorrow is a lawyer. But her real passion isn't law, its connecting high school kids to nature. And she's been doing it for close to ten years. Kimberly volunteers multiple weekends every year to take students from East Palo Alto's Eastside Prep High School camping; on the beach, in the redwoods, and early this summer, to Tahoe National Forest.
In this video you get a chance to see young people shine, as they do in no other setting, outdoors, under the stars, with each other, without screens, in lakes fed by snowmelt, creating memories to last a lifetime.
Kimberly makes these trips happen because she was trained by Bay Area Wilderness Training, and now has access to geat to outfit the students. Our Bay Area Program Affiliate is on its way to another 7,000-youth-outdoors year. Nice work BAWT! Nice work Kimberly!
The White House! And keeping my feet on terra firma
It's been a busy and exciting month! It began when I was honored to be invited to the White House as a nominee Champion of Change—Engaging the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders.
The White House and the event cast a spotlight on the importance of getting kids outside. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell continues to impress. She reiterated her plan to connect 10 million youth to the outdoors through four initiatives: Play, Learn, Work and Serve Outside. Secretary Jewell began her speech by saying "my favorite classroom is a room where there are no walls, the outdoor classroom!"
After my trip to D.C., I headed to Chicago to talk to potential partners including Chicago Wilderness, an impressive regional alliance that connects people and nature in three states around Chicagoland. We have also been talking to great people in Madison, Wisconsin; Portland, Oregon; and Boise, Idaho. Make sure you follow our Twitter and Facebook feeds to keep up to date on where we’re headed next.
Keeping my feet on the ground in the outdoor classroom was my goal when I co-taught the Frontcountry Leadership Training for Bay Area Wilderness Training last month. It was such a joy to once again be outside teaching, with staff and volunteers from Oakland Parks and Rec, Seven Teepees and Outdoor Afro.
Participants gained the skills needed to borrow equipment and safely get youth and families outdoors. We even had another Network Program Affiliate—The Washington Trails Association, join us from Seattle for the beautiful weekend in Tilden Park's Wildcat Campground.
Finally, I'm happy to announce the Network's new and very experienced Program Director, Jill Greenblatt. Jill has been a lead instructor with Bay Area Wilderness Training since 2001, previously served as the organization’s Program Director, and later on its Board. She also worked with two foundations focused on services and higher education access for low income, first generation, and foster youth. Please welcome her!
Happy Spring!
Kyle Macdonald
Founder and Executive Director
Outdoors Empowered Network
Outdoors Empowered Network is building a movement to ensure that all kids gain the benefits of the outdoors!