PEAK

The co-op has an important role to play in ensuring youth develop an early appreciation for nature. Young people who are aware and engaged will be better prepared to protect and care for outdoor spaces and will promote outdoor ethics by sharing their experiences with peers. If we are successful, these youth will continue to champion natural spaces throughout their lives.

One of our most effective youth outreach efforts is the Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids program, or PEAK. PEAK was developed in partnership with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics to inspire a love of the outdoors in young people while teaching them to be responsible environmental stewards.

The interactive program incorporates a series of hands-on fun games, activities and lessons. REI employees and PEAK trainers visit classrooms, events and organizations across the country each year to remind young people to stay on trails, pack out their trash, make sure they are prepared, and leave recreation areas how they found them. Twelve learning modules are available in Spanish, providing an additional tool to reach a more diverse youth population.

Highlights

In 2008, PEAK reached 182,834 children nationwide through direct outreach from REI and the efforts of our partner organizations – an increase of 28 percent from the previous year.

REI provided a grant to the American Camp Association in the northeastern United States to help fund the training of 100 camp staff in support of the program. This "train the trainer" model resulted in REI and Leave No Trace receiving an award from the American Camp Association in early 2009.

Challenges

While we are encouraged by the increasing number of youth reached through PEAK annually, our internal resources to provide outreach through the program are limited. Increasingly, our reliance on partnerships with other organizations is essential to the program's success.

Looking Ahead

Promoting environmental stewardship among youth and teens remains a priority for REI, and we recognize the challenges within our own outreach efforts. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with Leave No Trace and being a strategic partner with them to identify areas of improvement so we can collectively continue to nurture the future caretakers of the natural world.