The Happy Camper: More Bush Time Required

The Happy Camper: More Bush Time Required - Kevin Callahan

Rating: ****

This is a great article that is a good read if you think there's a problem with today's society and how children aren't getting outside enough, as it's a first hand account of exactly that.

Kevin Callahan believes that kids today have it easy, and he's worried that they're going to suffer because of it. Callahan teaches outdoors courses to high school students in dual-credit courses where they can gain a college credit. He notices that nowadays, high school students don't want to be outside like they wanted to be outside when he grew up in the 80s. Callahan says that only 3 of his 16 students had ever been out in the woods for a full day before, so none of them knew how to be outside in the cold. They wore jeans, running shoes and no gloves in -16°C weather. Callahan even had a student cheat on a test, and to get back at him the student told the administration the Callahan "roughed him up" in the hallway. Callahan decided to quit his job, but eventually came back because the rest of the students wanted him to come back. Callahan feels like the youth of today need to be shown the outdoors in order to get a craving for it.

I thought that this was a great article for a few reasons. First of all, because what he said is true. Kids today don't get outside enough, with all of this technology ruling our lives we don't take the time to appreciate the outdoors. However, I don't think that this is solely our fault. According to Callahan, kids need to get outside in order to get a craving for more. So, I believe that parents are slightly to blame since they don't get us outside enough to nurture that love for the outdoors. Obviously, this isn't true for everyone as there are parents out there who take their kids outside a lot, and most of these kids will end up loving the outdoors. I believe that Callahan's right when he says that young people need to be shown the wilderness in order to get a craving for it. It says something that the students wanted Callahan to come back after he left, because they wanted him to take them outside and teach them about the outdoors. He gave them that thirst, and now they will hopefully have it for the rest of their lives. I believe that every child should be given a thirst for the outdoors, which starts with the parents but also needs to continue in school. This article was great at provoking some thoughts about today's society.

 

Callahan, Kevin. "The Happy Camper: More Bush Time Required." Explore Magazine. Explore Magazine, 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. <http://www.explore-mag.com/The_Happy_Camper_More_Bush_Time_Required>.