The project R.A.I.N. has become the product that represents a summary of my experiences as a resident physician at the county hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Although I was primarily managing the medical aspect of the pediatric patient, I often felt powerless to make any real impact on the social situations these children were surrounded by at home, which often times were desperate or dangerous. I was surprised by how many of the children were discharged home to foster care, or left with a DCS case opened regarding their home situation, for abuse or neglect concerns. As my interest in the foster care community grew, I began to research the statistics about foster care in Phoenix and was again surprised by how common it is. Arizona houses over 14,000 children in foster care. We have approximately 175 group homes in metropolitan Phoenix alone. We know from previous studies that these kids are at increased risk for incarceration, teen pregnancy, physical and psychological abuse, and other negative outcomes. We know that 70% of incarcerated youth in the U.S. are in the foster care system. These are children displaced from their homes, with little sense of security, trust, or control.
Jane Clark, University of Maryland professor of Kinesiology, describes modern day children as “containerized kids.” They are placed in a car seat and a crib after birth. When they are able to go outside, it is usually in a stroller. As these kids grow up in urban settings, they are placed in cars, school buses, classroom desks, and bedrooms. There is not much space left for natural play. And in this specific population of underserved children, the kids are often too busy trying to survive to think about getting outside for playtime. Richard Louv, author of The Last Child in the Woods, coined the term “nature deficit disorder” to describe the growing population of urban kids who are, by design of this broken system, drawn away from nature and clinging to the busy world indoors.
In my experience, reconnecting with nature is one of the best ways to rediscover self and gain the skills needed to navigate one’s own world. I’ve heard “To remember who you are, you have to forget who they told you to be.” I want to provide the environment for these kids to reconstruct who they believe themselves to be, and open up their small corner of the world to a larger, more peaceful place. The book Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties, written by Daniel Beard who is best known as the founder of The Boy Scouts of America, describes a time when people experienced nature by doing something in nature. As beautiful and serene as nature is on its own, the confidence that it can provide is obtained through the challenges that are found within it. Survival skills such as building primitive shelters, starting campfires, identifying plants and animals, wilderness first aid, and cooking in the wilderness can grant children the resiliency and teamwork skills that they can not find elsewhere.
Through R.A.I.N., the children will be given the opportunity to learn survival skills and outdoor sports from qualified, experienced, passionate instructors. During day trips and extended events we will also have atleast one behavior therapist on staff to assist with any behavioral concerns, because we recognize that most of these kids may have trauma afflicted backgrounds. We hope to provide children with consistent outdoor exposure with quarterly events. We look forward to bearing witness to the growth and rejuvenation that these kids may experience in the coming years.
Savannah Seigneur
Founder of R.A.I.N.
