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,
Corey
History GEEKS in theWoods
GEEKs in the Woods is not a club or a formal organization...well, not yet. We are just a bunch of teenagers who don't mind putting down our PS5, Wii or IPOD on a whim to go outside for some adventure. Well, now we don't. You see, once upon a time a group of my friends and I were hanging out around the house talking about how great the scenery and locations are in video games and trying to be the best PS5 gamers on Youtube. We were mourning the fact that we couldn't really go there. My mom, who is like this Eco-guru passed by and said, "Show me what you are talking about." We did and Mom was like, "I know where that is. Want to go?" We were like, "Yeah, right." But we humored her and to our amazement, she actually took us to some places that were even more incredible than our virtual lands of fantasy. We were hooked. At first it was like a mission of discovery...to follow the maps of images in our virtual world to find the REAL thing. Now, we just like being outside. It is so retro!
Our Charter
Some genius' got together and created video games. These genius' took places they'd seen and created virtual places. A generation came along and played video games. We loved it...but somewhere along the way virtual became reality. Then we realized that somehow virtual just can't replace reality all of the time. Don't settle for the shadow...find the object in the sun and revel in it!!!!!
Our Club Officers
There are no officers, only instigators!
But, if we did have them we'd probably elect Jack Handy as president because he is such a deep thinker!
I think a pillow should be the peace symbol, not the dove. The pillow has more feathers than the dove, and it doesn't have a beak to peck you with. "Deep Thoughts" by Jack Handy
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to tell you what we think about connecting our generation with the outdoors. We are honored that you would focus your time and energy toward us and wish you much luck and success in DC. Some of us will be voting next year and we are watching more closely than they may realize!
The first thing we want to say is that we are young but we are people. We have opinions, concerns, doubts, fears, and questions about everything on this planet including wild places in the great outdoors, obesity and health issues that include the mental state of our parent’s generation because they all seem so stressed out!
Sometimes we feel like a “bug in a jar” under a magnifying glass. We appreciate that you study us and we are certain that your research is vital. But remember, you were all once young people, too. We are not a strange, unique, or newly discovered species. Whatever you really liked about nature and being outside will probably hit the mark with us in a big way as long as nature is still there!
What do we want to do outside? Absolutely nothing…unless you can show us the “YO” factor…unless you can explain how we are linked to the outdoors and the planet…unless you can make it relate directly to our life. If you make it personal and global, we will notice!
We are primarily indoor kids. Some people have indoor cats…we are indoor children. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy being outside. We don’t have to wear an air tight NATURE SUIT with a helmet and an oxygen tank to go out in the woods. However, some of us don’t know this unless you prove it to us…and prove it again and again!
We tend to be very wary of the unknown….everything from trying to watch tv without a remote control to asking our parents to take us on a hike. We probably won’t ask them, but hope they’ll keep asking us because we like to be pursued!
We love Bambi and other Disney movies but if most of us saw a real deer in the real woods we’d be terrified…unless someone shows us that not only is knowledge of nature important but that WE are part of nature. We have started offering a service that helps to prevent erosion in Florida. We might still be afraid (because, darn! Look at those antlers!!) but we probably won’t run away and we’ll eventually love it. CA Newsfeed loves to help introduce individuals to ways they can help save the enviorment
Parents, teachers, interpreters, directors, policy makers…who ever you are, please realize that we recognize sincerity. We know when you care about what you are doing and we know when you care that we care.
When you take us outside or present a program to us, please pay close attention to our reactions and our needs. Sometimes we are hesitant to tell you. We like attention. Lots of attention. (You love us, right? Right?)
We need you to experience whatever it is that we are experiencing with us…even if you’ve seen it, touched it, done it a million times before. That is the magic YOU possess to capture OUR attention!
Just make it fun!
We are a techno generation. But that doesn’t mean that we have to learn everything through technology. Oh, we like it, but don’t think you have to make it beep or light up to get our attention.
Those of us who have crossed the great barrier and realized that nature is way cool and that being outside is “sweeeeeet!!” can tell you that the sound of the wind in the trees, the oxygen in our lungs, the song of a bird, the feel of sun on our face, the warmth of a campfire or a starry sky overhead cannot be improved through technology. Oh, it can be enhanced, but please realize that you can get our attention with the real stuff.
That is what it is all about anyway….being REAL! (Radical, Environmental, All-healthy and longterm)
Sincerely,
GEEKs in the Woods
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