I hope that you have noticed my series of posts welcoming you to attend a coffee session at Douglass Beach on Saturday, July 19, from 8am to 10am.

I thought I might add some personal context on this sunny day.

I was born in 1950. I was part of a generation of children who played outside as a matter of course. Here I am on a beach in Cornwall in about 1956. I am inviting my sister to come and join me to play pirates.

My dream for children everywhere is to rediscover the joy and the benefits of playing on a beach and, as importantly, in the water for weeks on end. Such an experience “grounds” a child, sets up pathways of internal calmness and a connection to the natural world.

Do not our children need this more than anything today?

Today, I live in a small lakeside town called Brome Lake. Everyone here acknowledges that the lake is the jewel of our town. But there is a problem in delivering this dream.

Access to the beach and the lake is limited. It is even more restricted to those who are not wealthy. In reality, hundreds of our local children have minimal access to the lake.

Our goal is to give all our children multi-week access to the beach and lake. Core to this is our developing partnership with the Town of Brome Lake, who share this appreciation. This year, AKR and TBL have entered into a partnership where the Salamander camp comes down to the beach for the first time in many years and where AKR partners with Salamander to offer on-the-water programming. Now any camper can row, canoe, swim or paddleboard for weeks into the summer.

Now, our children can have a 6-8 week exposure to the ancient joys and healing of a beach and water-filled summer.

The key to making this summer promise for all our children is to root this project in a physical, community-based infrastructure.

A building that can host this activity is essential. Such a building can host this event not only in the summer but also in the winter. I imagine a Salamander Weekend winter program where children can skate and cross-country ski on winter weekends when the lake is frozen.

Included in these plans is a funding plan that will remove any financial barrier from participation.

Would you like to become part of this dream?

Join us at 0800 on Saturday, July 19, to find out more.