GECKO's mission is two-fold; Remove barriers (financial or otherwise) to allow children and teenagers to create lasting memories and connections with the outdoor world; and facilitate participation in character-building outdoor programs. GECKO mission, inspired by Richard Louv’s book The Last Child in the Wood, is Saving our children from Nature Deficit Disorder. The argument is that children of today are so ‘wired’ into television, computers, video games and social media that they’ve almost completely severed their connection to the outdoors, and to themselves. By reconnecting kids with the wilderness you reconnect them with themselves, giving them perspective to their lives and what matters and who they are. Secondly, you won’t protect what you don’t love and understand. By reconnecting kids with the wilderness GECKO hopes to create future environmental stewards for our beautiful natural world. If you compete in a GECKO event this summer – what you are really doing is Paying it Forward and joining us to get all kids off the couch, unplugged and outside!
