Project of Possibilities - The Great Big Camp Sleepover

Well, here is my project but first some background....I live in an apartment complex owned and operated by an organization called "Foundation Communities." Foundation Communities is a nonprofit organization that empowers low-income families and individuals with the tools they need to succeed. Foundation Communities provides affordable apartments and duplexes to more than 2,000 families. They have developed a model of service-enriched housing that enables families with low incomes to permanently improve their educational and financial standing. (foundcom.org for more information)

2 years ago, after leaving my husband, I was financially unstable and discovered these apartments. They were clean, aesthetically pleasing and very affordable. So, here I am in these apartments with others with a pretty low income. My project is to give the "at risk" families and children an opportunity to experience camping, plus other activities while in nature, that allow for the possibility to connect with themselves, nature and others in the community. I have been camping all my adult life and have lived in the rural mountains of Colorado. There is something transformative about nature. There is something that touches one's soul, when you are quiet enough, especially in an environment of pure nature. No cell phones, computers, TV, video games, electricity, traffic noise, crowds and the myriad of other things that keep our bodies and minds distracted, entertained, numb or stimulated.

I once had the privilege of taking 2 of the children who live at my apartment community to a picnic at Zilker Park (in Austin) with myself and 2 girls. We ended up taking a hike around Lady Bird lake on the hike and bike trail. The kids were an 8 and 9 y/o brother and sister. This was their first time they were around the lake. It was such a rich experience for me and them. To watch them experiencing the ducks, the flowers, the poison ivy, the pain in their feet, the great spiders, the water and turtles was a treat to behold. I believe that when children are given the opportunity to slow down and experience nature, they get in touch with the joy and wonder that is inherent to who they are.The more we can get in touch with our essential nature, the more we will touch others with the same. This can only lead to care for an of others, peace, treating each other with the dignity that is inherent in who we are and the care of our planet. That is the essence of this project. Start with a small group of children and their families. To break the cycle of hopelessness, poverty, hate and the violence that those qualities create.

We are rushing and stimulating yet dumbing our children down in our culture. We, as a culture, overstimulate them when they are young, feeding them food laden with toxic pesticides and genetically modified foods, creating an indoor child obsessed with TV and electronic games dumbing down their creativity, unaware of what a toxic environment we are creating for our children....how will this serve them and our planet and fellow human beings?

I've always been into educating people in my 22 years of practice to consider moving toward a more natural lifestyle, eating healthful, creating healthy habits and cultivating their inner life. This little project is one more step toward that desire.