ReSources Environmental Hero Award Speech - Aimee Frazier

Congratulations to our own Aimee Frazier, Wild Whatcom's Girls Explorers Club Founder and Program Coordinator. Aimee was named a 2014 Environmental Hero by Re Sources for Sustainable Communities. Below is the speech Aimee gave on behalf of Wild Whatcom at the Awards Banquet, held September 4, 2014 at the Lairmont Manor in Bellingham.

I am so delighted to receive this award, as acknowledgment of the work we are doing in Wild Whatcom. In the collaborative leadership culture we’ve created, we like to talk about “We, not Just Me” and so I feel I am receiving this award on behalf of the we not just me that makes up Wild Whatcom. Some of that Wild Whatcom community is here tonight: parents, educators, board members, administrators, contributors.

But the Wild Whatcom members who aren't here are the kids of all ages who participate in our programs, who collectively have given over 7000 hours of service to our community; who stretch their edges hiking many mountain miles; who work hard to follow our mottos of Leave No Trace, Collaborate and Compromise, Walk Your Talk, You See It, You Own It; kids who helped start this program 10 years ago . What Wild Whatcom aims to do is create a whole lot of environmental heroes, so I am receiving this award on behalf of them as well.
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There are so many ways to mitigate the planetary problems we face, and this year's honorees Mitch, Martha, Fred, Duane represent truly heroic approaches. 

Wild Whatcom's approach focuses on fostering wonder and curiosity through exploration, growing a sense of responsibility and agency through self awareness and collaborative leadership, and directing this leadership toward service to our community, ultimately connecting participants meaningfully with themselves, one another, the community and the earth that sustains all of us.

Our tagline sums this up: Explore, Serve, Connect.

Self-understanding is a foundational piece of our explorations.  Who am I? What challenges me? What scares me? What aspects of myself do I need to work on? How can my unique gifts contribute to our world?

Our relationships with others is another aspect of what we explore.  What challenges exist in our relationships? What can we work on in our communication, our ability to listen? How can we build bridges, not walls?  

Wild Whatcom also fosters community awareness, helping participants understand that community is not something outside of us - It is us. Each one of our contributions build it. We believe 7 year olds can contribute to our community as effectively as 17 and 77 year olds, and aim to create lifelong stewards through ongoing service, collaborative leaders out of engaged learners. Wild Whatcom fosters relationships that help a generation labeled the Me generation become the We generation. 

A thread that weaves and connects all of our explorations is that of earth understanding, an ever-present joyful awareness that all circles and cycles in the human and non-human realms are interconnected. That every action has a consequence. And that our daily choices make a real difference in the health and vitality of the earth systems that sustain us. 

I mentioned Joy. At the heart of Wild Whatcom's work is Joy.

There is an education writer named David Sobel, who wrote a book called Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education. Sobel observed the effect of sharing dire environmental news with children, inviting them to think abstractly about problems and solutions... this made them resist, pull away, shrink in despair. He termed the results of too-early introduction of abstract ecological problems and bad news – rainforest destruction, climate change, acidifying oceans, etc... –“ecophobia”. Sobel then wondered what inspired the many environmentalists he knew, what was the seed of their impassioned efforts? Sobel found that “most environmentalists attributed their commitment to a combination of two sources: many hours spent outdoors in a keenly remembered wild or semi-wild place in childhood or adolescence, and an adult who taught respect for nature.”

Climbing trees. Building forts. Playing in the sand. Rolling in mud. Smelling the wind. Creating and playing and discovering, outdoors.

Sobel concluded: “If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the Earth before we ask them to save it. “

And that is what the “We, not Just Me” of Wild Whatcom is doing: weaving webs of connection to inspire people of all ages to love and care for the earth.  We work on connection, to inspire protection. Connect to Protect.
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In an age of commerce and capitalism, it can be challenging to do work that often feels undervalued by society. Thank you ReSources for hosting the Environmental Hero Awards and valuing the work all these environmental heroes do. 

A Farewell to Explorers Club from Matt Fogarty

Hello Explorers Families,

Four years ago, in August 2010, I was in my second year of my masters program at Naropa University. I was tasked by the university to do community work by putting into action what our program was studying. I called a dear friend, Jennifer Hahn, and asked her if she had any ideas for where I could perform this service learning project. She put me in contact with Aimee Frazier. Within a couple weeks, I was volunteering for the Boys Explorers Club. A couple weeks after that, I sat in a circle with Aimee, Drew Butler, Randy Leventhal, and Jenny Lee Rae, and was welcomed as the new member of an emerging organization that we were calling “Wild Whatcom.”

At the time, Boys Explorers Club was very young. We had two regular groups and were just welcoming a third into the fold. Drew had begun the program with another man, Thomas, who shortly afterward moved to Seattle. So much was up in the air. We were blessed with tremendous support from the other members of Wild Whatcom. Aimee offered us endless advice, templates, and coaching on how to run our program. All that said, when it came to the work in the field and the actual planning process, we were on our own.

That year was a lot like the process of falling in love for me. I was so passionate about the work and filled with ideas. I was excited to work with Drew and figure out how to create a healthy culture of co-leadership. When it came to actually putting those ideas and inspirations into action, there was so much to learn. Entire outings came and went where Drew and I wondered if we were walking our talk, if we were actually helping to build healthy nature and community connection. We learned quite rapidly that there were many elements of the Girls Explorers Club curriculum that did not work for groups of boys. Drawing board after drawing board, outing after outing, game by game, skill by skill, we grew and learned alongside the boys. We gleaned from the inspiration and knowledge of our Wild Whatcom colleagues. We listened to the boys and to the Land, and, slowly, all of us together crafted a program that was unique and had integrity.

Looking back on this now, there is a lump in my throat as I search through seemingly endless images in my mind of roaring waterfalls, hidden orchids, curious mink tracks, and red-legged frogs, of jagged mountain tops and open tide flats, of chilling downpours, relentless sun, and brilliant snows. I remember vividly each boy that I had the honor to sit by as he navigated the challenge and terror of wasp stings, cuts, fears of heights, interpersonal challenges, of being wet and cold and tired and missing home. I remember vividly times when a group of young people made my heart pause in awe before the gloriousness of the human spirit. I remember yelling like a frustrated coach- with such passion and love- at a squirrelly bunch of emerging adults as they learned their place and their way in the wilderness, knowing in my heart that we were providing a space for them to become full, caring, and empowered adults in the world.

I have had the honor of working alongside other men, as mentors and as volunteers, who carry passion and vision, an ethic of service, and a deep and abiding love for the world. Together, we have created an internal community of adults who are focused on walking our talk, on serving the mission, and on dedicating our work toward the wellness of future generations. Some of these men are currently serving as mentors in Boys Explorers Club. They will work with the 144 boys that are now in the program.

There are not many things I know. True knowledge is hard won. It is a rarity— a singular jutting rock in the roaring river of uncertainty that we must all swim through in life. I do know this: each boy is medicine. Within each and every one of our young people is a great bundle of medicine that offers healing to the land, to other people, and to the adults who work with him. Each boy is the keeper of immeasurable wisdom. I know that when an adult sees this and works with it, something magical happens. That medicine becomes unlocked and it spreads through every relationship. The land does become healthier. The adults become healthier. That boy gains self-knowledge, community connection, the power of morality, and the unerring ally of depth wisdom. I know that we truly are all connected, and to serve the land, and to serve another is to serve oneself.

I know that we still have much work to do as a community. Wild Whatcom is cultivating health for our communities in a deep and enduring way. The medicine that Wild Whatcom offers is not just for youth. As adults, we cannot fixate all of our work on the youth. We must work on our own healthy connections, meaningful relationships, ethic of service, and sense of exploration. The next generation responds ten times more to what we do over what we say. A good farmer nourishes the soil. Healthy plants are only produced by good soil. Each plant takes nutrients out of the soil to grow, and if the farmer removes that plant from the soil cycle, then she must amend that soil. As adults, we are the soil in which our young people can grow. Burnout and stress of any kind indicate a lack of nutrients. We must be creative in amending the soil. We must create conditions that allow for us, as adults, to grow in health, to establish a sense of belonging to our place, to resource our body-based wisdom, and to cultivate healthy relationships with one another. There are tools we can use, and these tools must be shared.

Personally, I am carrying a vision with me into this next work. I will continue to work with youth. I will also work with others to problem solve how to build resources for adults in our community. I’ll begin by using more of my psychology training. I will focus on counseling, coaching, and mentoring one-on-one or in small groups. Here is the link to the website for Square One Counsel. More will grow from here over time, but it is best to start with a single project and allow it togrow organically. This work will be allied with Wild Whatcom and will continue to serve the greater community.

Parents, I want to thank you for all of your unwavering support throughout the years. It has been such an honor to co-create this community with you, and I have no doubt that we are all better off because of it.

Finally, I’d like to address my fellow Explorers directly:

Right now, somewhere in every yard, there is a feather lying close to the ground. If you got up right this moment and searched your own yard very hard, you could find it. It is aging. The barbs are starting to fail and invisible mites are probably hard at work taking the whole thing apart. If you come at the right time, you may even see an ant taking a piece of this feather back to his nest. The feather belonged to a bird- maybe an oregon junco or an english sparrow, a house finch, an american crow, or even a northern flicker. If you stare at this feather for long enough, you would begin to think about the bird that shed it. You would wonder where the bird is now. Maybe it is flying at this moment, maybe perched on a twig, maybe sleeping in some dense foliage, maybe he was eaten by a cat or a sharp-shinned hawk. You could look at the feather to find some clues. If you look in the right way, you will notice whether or not the feather was shed or if it was plucked out by a predator. You might look around to see where the bird might have been living or the path the local cat likes to take. This is happening right now in your back yard. That feather, that is out there, is the beginning of a whole path of adventure. If you kept asking questions about it, you would eventually know your whole place- every mammal and bird and plant. You would have powers of awareness that could take an instant picture with your mind and remember everything. You would know how to move like a cat or bound like a deer. It is all there… connected to that one feather… all you have to do is look and keep looking. The more you look, the more you see.

I have had the honor of Exploring with you for many years now. We have been like a flock of birds flying together. We have explored many places. We have played many games. We have learned and grown so much together.  I have changed so much because of you, and I am so thankful for it.

I will stay in Bellingham and be a part of your flock for as long as I am alive. However, I am leaving Explorers Club so that I can stretch my edge and grow. Explorers Club is yours to take care of and to help grow. You will meet new mentors and you will learn so many things from them. You will also teach them about Explorers Club and about the land. Never forget that this is your club. Never forget that every mentor and every Explorer that comes and goes leaves a story behind, like a feather. Never forget that a single feather tells a very big story. Every feather was once a bird and every feather will become the soil. Never forget that the soil becomes a plant, and that plant becomes a part of you… through breath or through your stomach. All things are connected. Please remember that as long as we live, we will be connected, and I am so thankful for that.  If you see me in town, I expect you to shout “Hide!” or at least come up and say hello. Whenever you see a feather on the ground, I’d like you to remember me and every other person that has been a part of your life, and remember that we are all working together as a part of the same earth. You always have support.

Thank you so much for Exploring with me.

Enjoy every day,

Matt

Boys Explorers Club Fall 2013 Gathering

The Boys Explorers Club (BEC) first ever Fall Gathering was a huge success! It was a full day with many elements of connection and community-building.

In the morning: At Cornwall Park, four mentors, six adult volunteer mentors, and six Explorers Mentoring Apprentices in the Firestalkers group (Four Shields program) gathered for a two-hour Foundations of Mentoring workshop. We did a lot of talking and even shared aspects of our comfort zones. We planted the seeds of a strong male mentoring community in this program. Thanks for donating your time and commitment to the program this season: Finnegan, Tim, Mike, Brian, Jimmy, and Jake. EMAs: Asher, James, Tristan, Soren, Christian, and Marcus (and Kyle and Kyler!).

In the afternoon: Many of you arrived at 1pm-over 110 people for sure! We met in a circle to welcome everyone and then thanked Matt Fogarty for his dedicated service to the program as coordinator over the past year(s). We are so excited that he is here as a mentor still and to help guide this mentorship program! Then, Steve and Greg and the EMA posse rounded-up the Explorers for an hour of games and madness. Dave then forced some parents to act out some skits that will help all parents prepare for a successful season. It was a good chance for people to meet and for us to create the supportive BEC parent community that can help with gear-swaps, carpools, fundraising, volunteering, and just plain having fun outside!

In the evening: Mentors gathered at the Boys Explorers Club secret headquarters to have a huge potluck dinner. With our families, we enjoyed a feast of a baked Coho, various salads, various gluten-free desserts, yam yumminess, and Daal.

Greg’s four-year-old daughter, Josie, kept the energy level active, as lively conversation lasted well into the darkness. It was another great level of connection to start our season.

Let’s have a great fall season of connection, exploration, and service!

Summer Extras with the Boys Explorers' Club

A very wet and muddy Games Day  and a Potluck comprised the weekend that marked the beginning of Summer.

We began on Saturday with a big game extravaganza at the 100 Acre Wood. Explorers came together with the intention of exploring one of our most vibrant and joyful human learning states. We played!  Play, it turns out, is an ingenious way for nature to excite us into getting to know the world and how it works.  If you are really interested in this, please watch the TED talk embedded below.  Really, it is worth it!  You'll also gain some insight on why we, in the Explorers' Club, do some of what we do.

 Needless to say, we had fun.  We got to know one another and played some games of Hide! to start it off.  A trek down the trail revealed some very interesting bird language (a bunch of crows very upset about something) and what we thought, at first, was a porcupine up in a tree.  That porcupine turned out to have feathers, and as it stretched its wing, proved none other than our great and wise (and sometimes ferocious) great horned owl.

After admiring the owl for a bit, we decided to try out a new game: Ripple through the Forest.  This game is based on bird language and the concentric rings of response that go out through the world as we act. It's particularly noticeable in the "wild."  Games are prone to lead to discovery.  A giant wood frog.  Some interesting plants.  Some beautiful wetlands.  All this was part of playing.

And, as you who attended know, so was the sudden thunderstorm that soaked us to the bone!  No time for dilly dallying.  Hypothermia is possible in the very warm conditions, and Explorers' attitudes were being taxed.  We had to move!  Thanks goodness, again, for games.  A game of Everybody's It and a romp down the trail warmed us up.  Then a run up a hill and a mudslide were a perfect ending compliment to the wet, muddy, and wild games day.

The Potluck was a wonderful success.  Thanks so much to all who showed up.  Tennant Lake is a magical place, and we were blessed with some great weather.  Good food, good company, and a few games/explorations were all part of it.  We even managed to walk through a flood, which was quite exciting!

We're looking forward to a great Summer full of Exploring.  Thanks so much for all of your support!

Don't forget to check out our pics in the Summer photo Gallery.