Anchors Away: A Field Guide for 12-year-old Walking Group Captains

This Family Walking Resource - part student workbook, part parent manual, part teacher's resource - will bring 'home' a solution to one of our most pressing issues: childhood inactivity & lack of independence within their own neighborhoods.

The story follows 8 young student leaders as they set out to turn-back-the-clock to a time when "nobody was driven to school".

Their teacher's father - an old sea captain visiting from out of town - can't believe the long line of parents in cars outside the school. "But you were never driven to school". He says to the teacher - and this sparks the young investigators.

Although the teacher doesn't have time for this, her father agrees to help the students become Walking Group Captains. Together, they create a "Field Guide": Anchors Away which allows the reader to follow these same steps; 1) assess my community, 2) improve my road safety skills, 3) identify partners, 4) meet my neighbors, and 5) give it a try.

It's time to turn our attention to senior elementary school students. They have the greatest interest, and the most time to raise the topic of Walking2School on the agenda of their parents, teachers and community partners.

Having worked with hundreds of child & teen leaders over the past 16 years, the storyline for this child engagement and leadership resource has already attracted enthusiasm of students.

Your support will get it collaboratively written, reviewed and dynamically illustrated. Thank your for helping!

Note: Minor editing will adjust the 'English" for North American, UK, and Australian/New Zealander student leaders.

One of the rewards for sponsoring this project: the "your @$$ is the gas" pen.

If I reach my tipping point goal of $6,000, I will be able to;

- dedicate time to write the draft document,

- review the draft with 10-, 11- & 12-year-old student leaders,

- commission an illustrator to generate artwork,

- hire an editor for proof-reading, and

- print & distribute 50 copies to be used in schools and to attract further funding.

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If I reach my funding goal of $16,000, I will be able to take this further by;

- spending more time on the Final Draft with the help of an editor,

- cultivating a more intensive and collaborative writing process with 10-, 11- & 12-year-old student leaders (& their parents) in two elementary schools,

- casting a wider review process from student leaders, teachers, parents, colleagues within the Active Transportation sector in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA,

- present the student leader resource at a conference workshop with Safe Routes to School practitioners, and

- printing 500 copies for distribution, and as samples for publishers.