Kaity Brown
Townsman Staff
Kimberley is one of six cities to be chosen for GET OUTSIDE BC. Five local youth travelled to Squamish for a five-day trip earlier this month, full of workshops to learn about how to encourage others to stay fit in their community.
The program taught the students how to plan outdoor activities in their communities and re-kindled their passion for the outdoors.
"The purpose of the 'Get Outside BC' project is to connect youth to the outdoors in a meaningful and sustainable way, and give them a sense of purpose and the capacity to inspire others to spend more time in the outdoors," explained, Lori Joe, Regional Program Coordinator.
The time spent in the outdoors can include many things: canoeing, biking, hiking, lake swimming, gardening, plein-air painting, long-boarding and gardening, to name a few.
The newly formed "Get Outside BC" Natural Leaders provide a gateway experience for local youth engagement with opportunities, activities and events, that allow or encourage others to "Get Outside".
Marlo Armstrong
The experience I got from the trip was incredible. The people there were just like family.
I would have to say it isn't what I expected. There were more workshops than I had thought, and not as much exploring the area.
The trip wasn't a challenge at all. I think the challenge will be our projects and events.
I learned how to organize, create, and plan a successful event.
The trip has given me the knowledge to be able to get sponsors, network, and more.
The trip hasn't given me a new passion for the outdoors but has strengthened it.
To my understanding right now, the group of us are brainstorming on the idea of going on a BC Parks hike. We are going to try to get a ranger to guide us into the St. Mary's Alpine Park. I will just be a day hike with a few people. It should be a great start to get us known to the town.
Bryn Oakley
"Get Outside" was different than I had expected but it was an awesome experience and I would suggest anyone who has an opportunity to go should do so!
I learned a lot of important skills from "Get Outside", and I will continue to use these skills to plan events in our community.
Our Kimberley group has lots of ideas, and our events are looking promising. We see Kimberley as an already active town and our projects will just help keep our community involved. We can't wait to start planning!
Michael Mitchell
At every level Squamish was amazing, from learning new things to meeting new people. It was an exceptional trip which I highly recommend to anyone that gets the chance to go.
Although five kids went, we all plan to work together and run outdoor activities catered towards youth.
The two main ideas we discussed were leading a hike into the St Mary's alpine and getting youth interested in kayaking as we hope to have a kayak specific water park in the near future.
Keaton Smith
The experience was very fun and memorable.
We did lots of workshops and got to see beautiful new scenery that I've never seen before.
I learned that when you go somewhere new, you've got to keep your head up so you can have a good perspective on the new things you see and the new people you meet.
The Kimberley participants are going to come together and do a project that's going to consist of many events, from smaller events such as longboarding races to a winter fun day.
Our group's highest expectation would be to carry on this group for years until we all graduate high school and then pass on the group to other youth leaders in Kimberley.
Gustaf Hagland
"Get Outside BC" was full of interesting people and beautiful scenery. The week we had was perfectly balanced between fun and learning.
If I learned anything from "Get Outside BC" it would definitely have to be confidence. Standing in front of a large group of people singing someone else's piece is very different than presenting your own idea. Also, I learned how to whistle with my hands.
My future goals for Kimberley are to set up a longboarding event. This event will be for all ages and will focus on teaching safety for longboarders.