Primitive Pursuits

Apparently that new show on CBS, Kid Nation, was on last night--the one where they took a couple dozen kids, put them in the desert and told them to create a society, with camera rolling and liability waivers signed by parents thinking this will give their kids the boost that they need for "show business". Basically a load of contrived crap. Highly unrecommended.

With that said, here's a great program that really gets kids out in the woods.

Primitive Pursuits is a program out of Cornell Cooperative Extension Office. It gets kids outside in the woods, to teach them survival and wilderness living skills. They get dirty. They start fires, without matches. They build shelters. They bring kids from urban areas out.

The Ithaca Times recently wrote about a new program at Primitive Pursuits:

Starting this month, five groups of ten to 15 pre-teen youths from the West Village Apartments, Parkside Gardens, and other underserved neighborhoods in Ithaca will begin eight weeks of after-school outdoor activities that will culminate in an overnight wilderness adventure in the Finger Lakes National Forest. The program also includes a year-round outdoor leadership program that will prepare teens ages 13 to 19 to become mentors to the younger groups while they hone their skills for possible future employment in wilderness and environmental activities.

The program became possible through a grant from the USDA Forest Service that was awarded in May as part of the Service's More Kids in the Woods Program.

A cool program that will make a difference. Here's their website.