Youth, Communities, Nature
Shawn grew up in Storrs, CT, and attended the University of Connecticut. Shawn has been working in summer camping since the summer of 1983. In 1988 he began working in the ropes course industry. Since then he has worked and lived in Japan and Thailand, worked at 8 camps in 6 states, directed 3 of those camps, gotten his undergraduate degree in Asian American Relations from UCONN, and a master’s degree in Environmental Education from Prescott College. Along the way Shawn got involved in learning primitive skills, deep nature connection, and crafting regenerative communities.
Shawn is a published author. His book, Ropes of Ecology: Connecting People to Nature, Community, and Place includes activities that guide sense of place, teaches ecological literacy, resource guides, and ropes course and experiential education resources.
Shawn is a firm believer that children need to spend time in nature as often as possible, and that time at camp can play an incredibly important role in the development of a child.