Merced Youth Council: Starry-Eyed

Once again the Merced youth council made a trip to Yosemite to further their commitment with each other and their community in Merced as well as in the nature of Yosemite. It’s always a great inspiration to be with these young people as we’re open for any adventure that might come our way. Our first day together I decided to take them to the Merced River where I went swimming just days before. As I was swimming there by myself, the realization of living in such beauty and being able to literally and figuratively soak it up for the last 45 years, has helped me to understand how profound it can be for human beings to find a sense of place and a sense of belonging to the natural world in a way that you feel no separation from it. This was how it felt swimming in the river that day. I thought to myself that I would really like to bring the kids here when they show up.

Thinking it would only be the first stop of possibly many, the kids didn’t seem to want to leave, so we spent five hours there. On a hot day in the cool water, it was the obvious place to be. Hearing the kids laughing and enjoying themselves while slowly getting more and more comfortable within such beauty is always so confirming to the importance of our relationship with nature to keep us in balance with ourselves and with each other.

When we left the river, we went to Fern Spring. We spent some time there visiting and drinking the refreshingly cool water. This day in nature continued to nurture all of us in a way that was very relaxing. Then we went to the Yosemite theater, where each week I present the film Return to Balance: A Climber’s Journey. Before the film, we sat outside the theater on picnic benches and Katie laid out a beautiful dinner of healthy food.

Then we all went in together and watched the movie. When we came out of theater it was dark. They all noticed right away how starry the night sky was. So I said we should go to El Capitan Meadow where you can really see the stars. Here are some of their words written about their experience in these few days:

- “The city: its bright lights, the sound of traffic, city lights blocking out the shine of the stars.

Here in nature, your adventure is not measured by the number of likes or views. It’s all about the thrill, the beat of your heart and your pulse becoming one with the sound of the falling water. Adventure is measured by the laughs and the splashes, the warm sun hitting your skin, the cool water rushing in between your toes. No camera or post could capture the vibrant green of the plants, the clarity of the water, the blueness and infinite coverage of the sky. When you see the pictures of it, you see the waterfalls and the ocean of trees, the rushing creek and the tall majestic mountains. You marvel at the pictures showing the wonders of this earth but usually 20 minutes later you rush to go watch tv and your marvel becomes only a distant thought. But while here, there’s no escaping nature because it surrounds you. You can hear the waterfall and its power, see its beauty and the way the water looks, turns white with its speed.”

- “It is so different to be up here for the weekend. The city is full of people running around constantly, trying to make money to provide for their family and be able to live. But here, here people just live. They’re able to appreciate the earth each and every day because they live in nature. So many people forget where we came from. “We are never happy with what we have.” My mom always says these words whenever I complain about something. I have never heard words more true than that. As humans, I feel as though we are always wanting more. A bigger house, a nicer car, the biggest TV, the fastest computer, the newest phone, a richer life. In nature you just focus on what you have and you don’t take anything for granted. As I swam around in the clear, peaceful water I observed the people around me and saw something that I’d never seen before. STRESS-FREE FACES. As teens, there is always so much going on in our lives and there never seems to be enough time for me to get everything done. Once I got in the water it felt like the time was just going by so slowly. “The sun is our clock around here,” Lam says. The water welcomes me each time I come and each time I am in it I make more memories with my peers. There are a lot of different ways to bond with people, but I believe that the best way for our group is being in the water and just enjoying each other’s company. Nature is what is bringing us together and because of it we have made memories that will last us a lifetime.

I’ve never felt more relaxed then when I was laying down in the cool sand, looking up at the stars. Looking up at that reminds me of just how little and insignificant I am compared to the rest of the world. Looking up I see the Milky Way and imaging just how tiny this Earth really is compared to everything else.”

- “There’s divinity in nature. I’ve never felt closer to God.”

We continue to learn from each other. Our youth have so much to say when given a voice. Sacred Rok is honored to support the Merced Youth Council and honored that you as well have supported this commitment to education nature’s way.

- Executive Director, Ron Kauk

Youth in Nature

Sacred Rok and San Benito Juvenile Hall have had an ongoing relationship with trips to Pinnacles National Park, which has also led to camping trips in Yosemite.

 Sacred Rok has always been committed to ongoing relationships and this is a great example of people working together to help our youth experience the richness of such beautiful places as TM and the High Sierra. 

These pictures are from our camping trip last week.

Being in the classroom of nature allows us to learn from each other.  It is a kind of honoring of the higher education that the natural world provides that brings us into a sense of unity that can benefit our community.

We are honored to continue to facilitate the ceremony of nature. 

Always thanking you for your support. 

Ron Kauk, Executive Director 

SACRED STAINLESS STEEL WATER BOTTLE

Water is life. Nothing survives without it. Our bodies, like the earth, are mostly made-up of water. 

In our modern world many of us have access to clean drinking water yet we continue to buy bottled water. Each year Americans use an estimated 50 billion plastic water bottles, with only about 25% of those actually getting recycled.  

The need for water will never go away but our consumption of single use plastics must end. As individuals and consumers, we can make better choices for our health and the health of the environment.

The future depends on the education for our children and it is paramount that we teach them to make the connection to the reality that we are nature; that what we do to nature, we do to ourselves. 

As part of our commitment and responsibility to protecting our sacred life source for the next seven generations Sacred Rok is honored to have partnered with Klean Kanteen on our cobranded 40oz stainless steel water bottle.  We are offering these as a gift when you make a $100 donation to help further our mission of bringing youth into nature to learn Education Nature’s Way and also in helping to protect the Sacred.  

Life as an Emeritus Professor

Yes, that’s me.  I retired from teaching at Stanford last December and became a faculty “elder” – an emeritus professor of education.  Part of what I wanted to do in retirement was to devote more focus and energy to Sacred Rok, working with Ron and my wonderful board colleagues to elaborate on the meaning of “Education Nature’s Way” through our trips and activities.  

It so turns out that the Stanford Faculty Emeriti Council had a program to encourage us to get more involved with the undergraduate Residential Education program, and I filled out a form indicating that I was interested in helping out as a way to stay connected with Stanford students.  My name on the list of emeriti volunteers got the attention of Anthony Antonio, who is a Professor of Education at Stanford and lives at the EAST House Residence as a residential fellow, and who knew about my involvement with Sacred Rok.  So an idea was born for a connection of Stanford students with Sacred Rok.

Daniel Scott Smith (a graduate student who staffs the programs at East House) wrote a proposal that connected the philosophy of Sacred Rok to what Stanford students might appreciate about spending time with us and submitted it to the emeriti program.  We put together a weekend that was appropriate to what students in the last weekend of spring quarter might appreciate, given upcoming final exams, term papers, and in the case of the seniors, graduation.  We hosted them with good organic food (me serving as guest chef working with our most amazing cook and COO Katie Lambert) – chicken and vegan curry and “taco truck” out of our camper for dinner, egg muffins and soups for breakfast, and healthy vegetarian Thai rolls and trail mixes for lunch.  

Our connections to nature resonated with their need to slow down and reflect.  We avoided the most crowded waterfall areas, and instead found solitude along various spots known to Ron along the Merced River, Cascade Falls, and El Cap Meadows.  We made time for the students to meditate, write, and sketch.  And on the final day, we found time to share our experiences – and Katie shared some of her climbing videosthat absolutely captivated the students because of her commitment as well as humility that elicited a “Really, that’s YOU?”. 

Wrote one student:  “One of my most memorable experiences was walking barefoot along the riverbanks and through the meadows, stopping along the way to pick wild mint leaves.  The simple act of feeling the grass under my feet and having to adjust how I walked made me think a lot more about my body and its connection to nature. I had to pay more attention to where I walked, which made me more attuned to each little sensation underfoot - the pine needles, the dried grass, the cool water, the sharp gravel. This made me feel like a part of nature rather than something just trampling over it, and that feeling gave me a sense of internal peace. “

And another:  “We were truly blessed to be able to contemplate life in such a beautiful place with such beautiful people.  I learned so much about nature and myself.”

One student offered us a quick sketch that she had done while sitting in El Cap Meadow, as she contemplated medical school. 

Wow. 

For me, this is exactly how I like to integrate my life.  I have spent my whole career working to improve formal education systems.  Now is my time to focus on education through the laws of nature, and the insights and appreciations that they afford for full human development.  Whether our young people are in prison or a university, simple contact with the elements of nature can spark our humanity in amazing ways.

- Kenji Hakuta, Professor Emeritus, Stanford Graduate School of Education