Education & Community Outreach PEAK & REI
PEAK
&REI Outreach Unite
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nvironmental education for children is vital for the future of the planet. Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI), based in Washington, believes in educating youth through community outreach programs. Kevin Hagen, the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility explained that PEAK programs are “about preparing the next generation of environmental stewards: our children.” The program believes that the next generations must have an association and appreciation of the environment they live in or there will not be anyone here to protect the environment. “Our resources depend on those generations,” Kevin explained, “They must have a connection to the outdoors and the places that we have come to love like the national parks, open spaces and public lands.” Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids (PEAK) program is a partnership between REI and Leave No Trace, a nonprofit organization that promotes education for helping the earth. The program ensures that environmental education is in elementary school classrooms and provides tools that help children get a sense of the outdoors and show how we depend on nature. One of the best parts about PEAK is that it is free and anyone can become connected. Last year alone over 187,000 kids were involved with PEAK. Typically volunteers from REI or Leave No Trace Behind run the program. “Employees love that they have an organized way to give back and connect with their local communities. They all bring a huge amount of enthusiasm with them,” explains Kevin. The volunteers bring backpacks to the classrooms, community groups or schools that include a wide variety of projects and activities that can be presented in learning modules based on interest and age. All of the modules are creative, fun and interactive for the children and are activity-based around a game or experience. One game begins by giving the children a string with an identity like a tree, cloud, frog or land. As the children play, the string winds together and turns into a web. The experience gives the children a new perception around interconnectivity of our natural surroundings. The main mission of PEAK is getting kids outdoors. “To make sure that people will be around to protect the outdoors,” Kevin explained, “we need to have an emphasis on getting kids into the outdoors to experience wildlife and to enjoy being outside.” Children learn that if we take care of nature, then nature will take care of. The PEAK program has heard endless positive stories about how PEAK had impacted children’s lives. REI also involves children and their families each summer in their free Passport to Adventure program. The Passport to Adventure summer experience offers five family-friendly hikes and bike rides at each of the REI store locations. Kevin says, “The mission of PEAK is a great place for REI. We are all about figuring out how to make the co-op part of the solution and getting kids outdoors. We are more than just a store. We are all excited about the opportunities that we offer children.”
For more information, visit http://www.rei.com/aboutrei/reikids02.html.
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