|
America has
spoken: Barack Obama is our new PRESIDENT! (And we shall all say with pride and dignity, "Behold...all men
are created equal!!"
VOTE!!!
We are young, but we can make a DIFFERENCE!! You live in a democracy and that means that you get a say
in who runs your country, and by way of this privilege you also get a say about how your country is run. It is very easy to
be blase about your right to vote and take a "whatever, who cares" kind of attitude about it but you shouldn't
brush this great honor off so quickly. Sure registering can be a bit of a chore, and yes, you have to head down to a polling
station on voting day to pull your lever which takes some time out of your day and may cost you a few bucks in gas, but whether
you know it or not these are very small prices to pay for the right to vote. In some countries people are literally dying
to be able to cast a ballot and make a difference. I'm going to miss the vote by 8 months!!! When the next Presidential
Election comes around I'll be 21 years old. I hope all of you who are 18 years old this November will study out our candidates,
make a wise choice, get your butts to the polls and MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!! God Bless America! Josh
Keep up with CURRENT Affairs! The Butterfly EffectYou may have heard that when a butterfly
flaps its wings somewhere, a storm is created somewhere else. This idea is an example of how interconnected the world really
is - an action in one part will almost certainly cause a reaction in another. If you don't believe it, have a look at
these examples: Draught makes wheat scarce and the price of bread rises. Oil runs dry and the price
of your holiday flights soar. A hurricane hits the coast of another state and a rescue center opens in your town.
Armed conflicts need peacekeepers and your military answers the call. A change in national government causes
your local school to change its meals.Sometimes current affairs feel as if they are worlds away from our daily lives.
What does it matter about how many jobs are opening in The City if you can't find something part time to save your life?
What does it matter if there is a war on another continent if you're engaged in a war at home every evening? What does
it matter if women in other countries can't vote when neither can you? It matters a lot, as it so happens! In our globalised
world current affairs everywhere have a huge impact on our lives, most of the time without us even realising it. To see this
effect in action, make sure you pick up the paper now and again and connect it with events in your local community. When patterns
emerge, you'll be glad you did. (For more information and articles visit http://www.teenissues.co.uk/KeepingUpWithCurrentAffairs.html )
| GEEKS has new members in Kericho Kenya!! |
|
|
| School children in Kericho Kenya...education is not free! |
NEW MEMBERS from Kericho Kenya:
Allan
Kiprono Ngetich-17 yrs, Lewis Kimutai Ngetich-14 yrs, Branon Kiprotich-10 yrs, and their friends: Emmanuel kipkoech-14 yrs
and
Godwin kiprono-13 yrs, are now international members of GIW and our first members from Kenya.
We are
very excited to be partnering with these teens. There is so much they want to learn and do for their natural environment.
They hope that the GEEKs can visit Kericho to set up meetings and make plans for environmental changes. They would also like
to visit the USA.
We will be holding some fund raisers as well to assist these guys with paying for their high
school educations. Education is not FREE in Kericho and sometimes it is difficult to acquire the funding.
If you
would like to contact the Kericho GEEKs, you may contact their adult leader, Peter Kiriu at pkkirui2002@yahoo.com .
| Hayden Panettiere (Heroes, Racing Stripes) |
|
|
| Eco-ambassadors learn of Hayden's passion for dolphins and wildlife |
| Weather Channel Forecast Earth Summit 2007 |
|
|
| Eco-ambassadors in DC |
What a trip!! DC was even better this time around as I got
to spend it with 21 other eco-teens who are trying their best to save the planet and have fun while doing it. I'm working
on a full article to share everything with you...but for now let me say that the summit ROCKED!!! Peace! Josh
BACK to DC: Joshua is Named Eco-Ambassador for The Weather
Channel's Forecast Earth Summit Dec 7-9, 2007
Joshua Morrison, the sixteen year old Founder and Director of
GEEKs in the Woods, has been selected as a
national Eco-Ambassador to The Weather Channel's Forecast Earth Summit. Joshua, along with nineteen other cool teenagers
from across the country, will be traveling to Washington, DC from December 7 – 9, 2007, to meet with climatologists,
other scientists, and to collect their Weather Channel prizes. The winners were selected from hundreds of American teenagers
in a two step process: essay competition and interview. For more info visit www.forecastearthsummit.org
NO MORE BOTTLED WATER!!
According to the Alabama Sierran (NOV 07) over 4 billion
pounds of plastic is sent to landfills from water bottles. We are so blessed in the USA to have clean tap water. Did you know
that many bottled water distributors (about 40%) actually just bottle tap water? So go get a trendy water bottle that you
can reuse, fill it up with tap water & save the EARTH!!!For more info go to www.thinkoutsidethebottle.org
Dreaming of Ireland? We are putting together a hike across
Western Ireland to the Cliffs of Mohr...if you are interested, email us at geeksinthewoods@yahoo.com
| INSPIRATION AND JUSTIFICATION |
|
|
| Click image to order book from amazon.com |
GEEKs
are honored by an email from author Richard Louv who says(paraphrased), "Thanks, Josh...(your words) are much appreciated
as is your good work... an example of what young people can do. I love your web site
and the idea of your organization...thanks for what you’re doing."
GIW volunteers work with JSU Field Schools to offer
inner city kids camps to more than 60 children in July. They donated more than 300 hours working with nature camps and events
promoting environmental education over the summer. The program was sponsored by Legacy, Inc. as part of the CREATE! project.
| For info on Legacy, Inc. click on photo |
|
|
| Jamie, "Captain Jack" & Flint the Knaps Larry |
|
|
News:
Stop buying & drinking bottled water!!
Hike Ireland...we are getting
a small group together to hike across West Ireland...email geeksinthewoods@yahoo.com if you are interested in joining us. The trip is going to cost about $1800 per person, including air fare.
-GEEK shirts
AVAILABLE!! $10 each...see contact info for how to order
As a member of the Sierra Club, I'd like to encourage
all of our friends to join the Sierra Student Coalition. The Club's student-run arm brings high school and college students
together around local and national issues. The SSC runs year round trainings that enable students to become capable and effective
activists. For more info call 888-JOIN SSC. Sincerely, Josh
|
| Jason, Dylan, Chance, Josh, Kaitlyn, Alex, Christy |
|
|
| Arik Christopher: Pro-Depp-alike! Contact him at DangerouslyDepp@aol.com |
GEEKs of the Carribean!! To celebrate school
being out for the summer, a bunch of us went to see Pirates III...who'd have known that Captain Jack Sparrow would show
up? We guess he is a Pirate GEEK!
|
You may ask, What is a GEEK? Well, I guess it is a Gaming Environmentally Educated Kid...at least that's our
story and we are sticking with it. We are tired of being labeled for gaming & tech addictions...we can have fun cave person
style (no insult intended to any cavepeople who might be reading this site!!) in the woods, on the beach, in the mountains,
on the trails, in the jungles, on the seas (getting in touch with our inner pirates..arrg!), fishing, birding, hiking, cycling,
paddling, bouldering & whatever seems adventurous,healthy and FUN!!
We are kids of multi-color...all
different and beautiful shades of "human"!! So...although we are Native American, African American, Latino, Hispanic,
Caucasion, Asian, Middle Eastern, European, Never-never-ean...whatever...we are just PEOPLE who enjoy hanging out in the wild
places and having adventures.
There has been a lot of talk lately about "Last Child in the Woods"...(a
great book by Richard Louv...and for the adults checking out this site: yes, we DO read books!!) Well, we are concerned, too.
It is our mission to make sure that the woods (and the mountains and the rivers and the beaches and the canyons) are
full of us!!
I hope you enjoy this website and that it inspires you to be a GEEK in the Woods, too!
God bless you!
Sincerely,
Josh
Founder of GEEKs in the Woods
|
