Nature Outreach - Growing with the Trees

WBETET has a tree in the logo to represent our dedication to engage with the Earth. The great outdoors have always been a place of growth and healing for me. Growing up in Hawaii, nature was beautiful and bountiful. I grew up on a mountain, with a waterfall hike up the street from my home. I was always adventuring into the wilderness. I never did boy scouts growing up. But I prefer to jump in and learn things the hard way. Book smart doesn't always translate to real life. I didn't have a father to guide me through life, so I just made my own path. Not all kids even have parents to take care of them. I hope to be a father-figure to many kids. Teaching them to be courageous. Teaching them to believe in themselves. Teaching them to never give up. I will guide them to forge their own path.

When you're cooped up in a concrete city, the outdoors can be a learning discovery portal into a new world. Many kids growing up in Baltimore, rarely have the opportunity to get out into nature. I taught some kids how to rock climb. The kids were scared at first. But they eventually trusted, and took a leap down into new ground.

I took these kids to a 5.11 outdoor climb lol. Way too hard. In retrospect, we should have done an easier climb. But the lesson to be learned is life can be difficult. So instead of going up. We went around. And instead of going up, we climbed down. Empowerment doesn't mean failing at the impossible, but rather achieving realistic goals.

The kids were scared of the dark tunnel and the train. I told them to run fast if they hear a train coming. We live in a world of fear mongering. Fear keeps people under control. But when you face your fears, and realize it wasn't as scary as you thought, you've grown.

We chilled in the water for several hours.

Someone is about to tip over!