How community spaces feel even more crucial to me as a parent.
Lately, I have talked with other parents who are feeling the same thing I do: the world can feel like a lot right now.
Even when I try to limit my time online to work or staying informed, I still find myself scrolling through the news before the day has really begun. It’s important to stay informed, but too much of that kind of intake can weigh on us before we even start the day.
I do not think the answer is to stop caring. But I do think we need places that help us remember what we are caring for.
As a parent, I keep coming back to how much it matters for kids, and for all of us, to have real spaces to connect. Not just structured programs. Not just rushing from one thing to the next. I mean actual places where kids can roam, practice skills, get dirty, hear stories, laugh with other kids, and feel connected to something healthy and alive. I think adults need that too.
That is part of why our recent community events at Trackers have meant so much to me personally.
At Trackers Skills Night, I get to see staff, kids, and families connecting beyond the programs we run. It is informal. Mentors share skills. Families bring food to share. Kids roam Trackers HQ in feral packs. Parents hang out with other adults, talking and connecting, just being themselves. It feels simple, but not small. In a time when so much of life feels fragmented or rushed, just being together in real life matters more than you might expect.
I feel the same way about our upcoming Trackers KidsCon, which has been a passion project of Michelle McCann, our Editor-in-Chief and a longtime Trackers parent. Michelle is drawing on her lifelong career in children’s book publishing to create something special: a day filled with local children’s book and graphic novel creators, hands-on crafts and stories, and of course a goblin egg hunt that leads to an after-hours Goblin Market. If you have never seen Trackers kids at a Goblin Market, bartering junk-drawer trinkets, baubles, and handcrafts, it is absolutely a sight to behold.
I know these community events are only a small part of what families need right now. And Trackers itself is only a tiny piece of a much bigger picture. But I still believe these kinds of gatherings matter more than ever. Families need other families. They need places to come together. These gatherings remind kids that the world is still full of creativity, kindness, and adventure. They remind all of us that friendship and shared experiences are still out there. And they remind me that positive change does not have to be something grand and distant. Sometimes it starts with something local, tangible, and real.
I know kids need more than a few fun events. Families need more support. The world needs deeper healing than any one group of outdoor educators can provide. But I also know what I have seen over more than twenty years of doing this work: kids do better in forests, fields, and creeks. They grow stronger there. They become more grounded, capable, and connected when they are given meaningful experiences and healthy community. They grow into people who make better choices and care more for their neighbors.
It’s not everything. Not even close. But it’s not nothing.
So at Trackers, we’re going to keep putting my energy toward what we know we’re am good at. We’re going to keep creating spaces where families can play, make, learn, and belong together. We’re am going to keep believing that community is worth building. And I’m personally grateful for every family that shows up and helps make our gatherings feel alive.
If you have been feeling that heaviness too, you are welcome to join us. They are free for our community, and that is on purpose. One of the things I love most about these events is that our Guides get to just be themselves—not “on,” not in instructor mode—just sharing what they love, sharing jokes, and sharing food alongside your family. Bring a dish. Meet a teacher. Meet a book creator. Trade some chim-cham at the Goblin Market. Put down the newsfeed for a little while and spend time with good people in the real world.
See you in the forest,
Molly Deis
Trackers Earth
Founder & Mom