Interview with Junior Ranger Kiki
On Wednesday 24 May, young and old celebrate the European Day of Parks. Under the motto 'Building on our roots', parks share portraits of different generations who have a special bond with the nature reserve with a joint action. Read here the story of Kiki, an inquisitive Junior Ranger who tells with a broad smile about the discoveries she makes with other young people in the Grenspark.
Together with the Junior Rangers, Kiki Kempenaers (15) often goes out in Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide. The Junior Rangers is a group of young people aged between 12 and 18 who meet every month to learn about nature with a total of 20 members. Every month, the Rangers do an activity. Those activities are always different and go on at different places in the Grenspark. Every year, there is also a weekend camp and a summer camp.
Kiki: "I joined Junior Rangers because of my family. My parents are real outdoor people and regularly go hiking in nature. I have always lived close to the forests of the Grenspark and loved to go romping and playing in the woods as a child. As I have been spending quite a lot of time on my phone lately, I signed up for the Junior Rangers. This way I get to enjoy the outdoors and have live contact with peers!"
Ravotten
What Kiki likes best about being a Junior Ranger is that she gets to places she would never get to otherwise: "I have already discovered many beautiful places. A while ago we came to a place where we saw lots of beautiful blue dragonflies. Sometimes a guide comes to tell something about nature. This way, I have already met many new birds and I am still amazed at how many species there are to discover. We have two cool guides, Daan and Linsy. Everyone calls Daan 'daddy Daan', because he always takes care of everyone. With him, we also always play the game 'Fat Bertha'. I like that we learn about nature, but also that there is room to play and romp around. Clothes are allowed to get dirty in nature, that's just part of it!
Nature in the Grenspark has a calming effect on me. It can make me really happy. Especially because I have very sensitive hearing. When I come here for a walk, I immediately feel that calmness fall over me and I can concentrate on ambient sounds, such as the sound of a bird."
Kindergarten teacher
Kiki finds it regrettable that not many children know Junior Rangers: "It would be nice to raise awareness and inform more people about this. I would like to become a kindergarten teacher. To the children I would later impart that it is healthy to play and to get your clothes dirty. For nature, I dream of a world with less plastic and pollution so that nature can just take its course."