“More than just a trip.”
What is “Family Nature Summits”?
Family Nature Summits is a non-profit organization in which anyone and everyone from anywhere can participate. The organization’s goal is to educate about all things nature through a week of adventurous outdoor activities for all age groups. Adventuring in a different place in the US every year, each summit is a week-long excursion to spread appreciation of the wonders and beauties of the natural world. Short-term goals of the community are:
- to get more involved in nature
- become more educated about the outdoors
- meet new people from all over the country/make connections
- spend time with family and friends
- engage in physical activities
Long-term goals include:
- having these connections/friends/family in the long run
- being able to share these experiences with loved ones
- inspiring others to participate/learn about/engage in nature
Everyone involved in the program makes up the community. The leaders of each group are the main influences on the activity; however, everyone contributes in some way, shape, or form. The organization is full of willing, thoroughly trained leaders, including those who have been with the organization for decades and new summiteers.
Have Questions? Here’s Where and How to Ask.
The organization has a few places of contact, including a Facebook page in which old and new members can:
- virtually come together to reflect on past summits
- inform the community about deadlines and new information for upcoming summits
- provide an outlet for everyone to connect based on past and/or future experiences in the organization
Because of the community’s state as a non-profit organization and the small community with which it is known, most of the spread of information comes from word of mouth. However, formal writing about the community can be found on the website or social media such as Facebook and Instagram. A lot of information surrounding the community can also be found in blog posts, such as this one, where members share their own experiences. With that being said, most of the communication happens within active members of the community and therefore writing does not extend very far outside of that circle.
Getting Involved
Beginning to participate in the community is a circumstantial event. Family Nature Summits is not an organization that is widely advertised by any means, therefore, most participants begin their enrollment through recommendations from friends or family members who are already participating/ have participated. Consider this blog post my recommendation to participate from me to you!
Once you’ve heard about the organization and its goals and mission, the registration process is quite simple, involving going online and registering for the upcoming summit for that year. However, if you have questions beforehand, an easy way to connect with people prior to committing to a full summit registration would be the group Facebook page. Writing in this sense is easy- casual conversation in which faculty members or participants can respond to you with their knowledge and experiences. Another effective and easy way to communicate within the community is asking questions directly to whom you heard about the community from! Following registration is when you will begin receiving communication from within the community on a consistent basis in a few different ways. This includes their newsletter emails with updates and reminders about dates and such, as well as direct emails regarding activity sign up and details as the summit date comes closer.
Speaking From Experience
Deborah Lamm, an active member of the community who has been a participant for decades, describes her own experience getting involved. Growing up in the program and being introduced to it by her family, she feels it’s a very “personal and individual experience in terms of getting involved.” Later in life, she took it into her own hands to have her husband and kids participate as well as she “experienced first-hand how special these trips were for [her] growing up” and how she wants the same for her family. She even recommended participating in the summits to her close friends and their families, which is an example of that individual communication and experience of stepping into involvement. Her persuasion contributed to the participation of two whole families who are now lifelong members of the community.
I experienced first-hand how special these trips were for me growing up.
Deborah Lamm
Talk Like a Summiteer
The real, long-lasting connection in this group happens not online, but in person at the summits themselves. This is where people from all over are brought together to share life-changing experiences in the shared appreciation of nature. Members of the group end up having a universal lexicon in which certain words are only understood by these members. For example, only participants are aware of what the robin’s egg blue-colored bandana means or what the Adventure Race is. There are unspoken conventions that members of the community follow which includes the respect of every individual in the program. The physical set of rules depends on the activity and group each person is in/ participates in. For example, the Adventure Race has a specific set of rules depending on the location of the summit that year. In general, however, the only rules to adhere to are to respect everyone and enjoy the outdoors!
