Outdoor Skills in American Schools by Anthony

Outdoor Skills in American Schools by Anthony - August 2015 Scholarship Essay

In my life, I've been given the privilege of living a life in touch with the outdoors. This impressed upon me the importance of self-care, environmental awareness, and comradery. In all areas of my life, these skills have changed me from a boy who loved playing in the grass, to a man who has climbed mountains and toured internationally with music, because of the simple application of outdoor skills learned throughout my life.

The American school system needs to address the importance of the outdoors to help students attain knowledge and skills they wouldn't otherwise face - including self-care, health, and the importance of the environment. We live in a time where it's becoming more and more vital to take care of oneself and the environment, a lesson which is often glossed over in schools. Adding a seminar on "Outdoor Skills" to American curriculum solves this problem. In this class, students would be able to explore self-care and health issues, learning firsthand through outdoor integration (gardening, hiking, exercise, and more.) With the incredible importance of the environment and self that we place, our school system should mirror that more appropriately, by teaching students skills and lessons based around vital outdoor skills. These skills would be accessible in some way to all, with great opportunity to choose a diverse array of lessons because of the broadness of different outdoor skills to learn. The diversity of learning would then in turn help students attain a greater skillset all around in bettering themselves and the natural world. The many lessons I've learned from scouting and living an outdoorsy lifestyle have often applied to my successes, and helped me realize the importance of self-awareness, environmental awareness, and so on through outdoor activities.

A system that nods to the importance of students and the outdoors gives way to greater success for all in the future, from better self-care to better care of the deteriorating natural world. These skills furthermore translate to greater opportunities for success all around, by allowing students many opportunities to learn about themselves and the world through outdoor activity.