Nature Isn’t a Walk in the Park

Erik Shaw believes that each step a kid takes into the woods is a step toward a better future.

So for the past 13 years, the former Green Beret has taught kids about the environment and about themselves through his Wilderness Education Program.

“What it’s really about is building self-esteem and showing there’s other choices out there,” Shaw, 43, said.

This summer, the Ventura-based nonprofit program is working with Ventura’s Police Activities League to provide two sessions of outings and challenges for some two dozen members of the league’s Youth Leadership Academy.

Teachers and school-based police officers nominate students--many from backgrounds of poverty, crime or truancy--for the academy. “They have no boundaries,” Shaw said. “They don’t know that what’s cool on the street isn’t cool in the real world.”

The Wilderness Education Program places the kids in a different environment and presents them with challenges to test their abilities and draw out hidden skills. It also gives many participants their first real exposure to the outdoors.

On a recent outing to Matilija Canyon in Ojai, Shaw briefed the students and their Police Activities League escorts about the dangers of snakes, ticks and poison oak. He showed them how to use the leaves of a yucca plant as a needle and thread and how to read a topographical map.

Since the current three-week session began June 26, the students have made strides in their approach to the wilderness, said Ian Potter, one of the volunteer guides.

“The first week, if they saw a lizard, they’d want to kill it,” Potter said. “They’re just more cognizant of the environment.”

During the hike, the students saw trees damaged by a 1985 fire and won granola bars from Shaw by successfully pointing out different kinds of trees. When breaking for lunch, volunteers reminded the kids to gather up every scrap of trash. A dip in a cool swimming hole was the reward for a successful but hot hike.

Several of the outings throughout the summer include climbing rock faces. The climbs give kids confidence in themselves and in their adult partners, Shaw said.

“There’s no quicker way to build trust than to have a kid hanging off your rope,” he said. “They’re hearing the message that they can do anything.”

Some of the students blossom during the program, said Officer Monty Pulido, who is helping to run the Youth Leadership Academy. “Some kids really take that leadership role,” Pulido said.

Throughout the program, the rock climbs build in intensity and height. Sometimes the challenges also help to break down perceptions of gender roles, Shaw said.

Some boys “have a very specific idea what women are supposed to do,” he said.

But the girls have something to prove and tend to listen to instructions better, so they often turn out to be better climbers, Shaw said.

Many of the kids said they like the program, which gives them something exciting to do with their summer vacations.

“You have to use teamwork in different parts of the program,” said 13-year-old Jackie Jackson.

Although climbing can be fun, “when you’re up, you’re scared,” said Hilda DeLaSancha, 12. But coming down can be another story. “It feels like you’re walking on air,” said 12-year-old Kishan Swami.

Shaw got the idea for the Wilderness Education Program while stationed in the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan, where he saw children whose lives had been uprooted by war.

He wanted to bring some stability to children back home, and began the program in Idyllwild before moving to Ventura seven years ago.

“The goal was always to be here because I grew up here,” he said.

Since the beginning, the program has been almost entirely funded by Shaw. His fiancee works to help support them so Shaw can dedicate himself full time to his work. The couple have even postponed their wedding a few times because the program comes first.

The running joke in the office is that Shaw pays his volunteer staffers in red licorice. But the lack of monetary rewards means that the staff is more dedicated, Potter said. “Everybody who works here wants to be here,” he said.

The program receives donations and corporate assistance, but Shaw occasionally takes an outside job to keep things going. He figures he needs about $5,600 a month to provide services to about 300 kids.

The program also raises money by offering a variety of other programs, including guiding Scout groups and providing team-building exercises for corporate retreats.

After each excursion, the guides review how the students performed and which elements of the education seemed to work best. Volunteer Nate Paul suggested bringing topographical maps on future hikes because some of the kids seemed to excel at map reading.

The ultimate goal is to show the kids that they can overcome any barriers, whether a sheer rock face or a mental block. “Those are the toughest ones to overcome,” Paul said. “The limits you put on yourself.”