Outdoor School Takes Aim at “Nature Deficit Disorder” in Youth

The Cascadia Adventure Education School is now offering a variety of one to three week long outdoor education programs for teens... Here is our story.
 
April 26, 2011 - PRLog -- National studies show that American youth are spending more time inside, fixated on the TV, computers, and video games than ever before, and it has a cost. To quote Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, young people are suffering from “nature deficit disorder.”  Louv links children’s alienation from nature to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, stress, depression, and anxiety disorders, not to mention childhood obesity.

A new Pacific Northwest outdoor school aims to treat this problem with programs focused on outdoor adventure, leadership development, and service learning.  Cascadia Adventure Education School will offer one to three week programs with instructors skilled in outdoor education and youth leadership for 6th through 12th grade students.

Cascadia’s first programs will start in June, 2011, and will focus on things like “Leave No Trace” camping principles, backpacking and boating skills, expeditionary cooking, river reading, GPS navigation, and natural sciences.  The summer line up also includes kayak programs near Trout Lake, where the company is based, and a service trip to Costa Rica over winter break.
“Students travel as a team through beautiful landscapes in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Costa Rica,” said Cascadia director Jim Wells. “The curriculum is centered on camping, whitewater kayaking, wilderness travel, and giving back though outdoor service. Additional skills such as leadership training and service project planning will help students make responsible choices about global interaction, and the wellbeing of our communities.”

A service project is a key part of each Cascadia course.  Students will carry out projects ranging from erosion control on mountain trails to using GPS and satellite imagery to aid wildlife biologists. The school’s founders believe that in giving back to the environment, students will gain an understanding of our planets life systems and develop a closer relationship to nature.

“Cascadia’s students are trained to lead these types of expeditions and to keep the spirit of awe and natural splendor alive in their own lives,” said Dan Cassell, program coordinator. “Service ties the students’ learning together and reconnects them to nature.”

In the technology age, there is no end of distraction from the natural world. But the adamantly enthusiastic faculty of Cascadia Adventure Education School believes it is possible for today’s young people to reap the benefits of learning from nature.

“Even if you have never been in a kayak, or camped above tree line on a mountain, and only recognize woodpeckers from cartoons, you will find learning comes easily when led by our dedicated instructors,” Wells said. “All you need to do is get outside and play.”

To learn more about Cascadia Adventure Education School, go to http://www.Cascadia.org.  Send inquiries to info@cascadia.org or call (800) 608-1073.
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