Young people in the Chippewa Valley have a lot to look forward to this fall. Kids and Mentors Outdoors (KAMO), a grassroots, nonprofit organization focused on conservation-based mentorships, will be setting up camp in the area. It will be the group’s sixth chapter in Wisconsin. In the program, participants develop close one-on-one relationships with their mentors, all while enjoying empowering outdoors activities such as canoeing, camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, trapping, and even wildlife filming and photography. Mentors, who must pass a background check, arrange wilderness adventures according to the mentees’ interests. “It’s getting them out to experience those things that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience,” says KAMO vice president and mentor Ben Gruber. He notes that the program is “vastly rewarding” for the children, their families and mentors alike. “The kids get really excited,” he says. “We hear all the time that it’s the coolest thing they’ve ever done.” According to Gruber, it’s not uncommon for parents to be pleasantly surprised by their daughter or son’s sudden drive to get out of bed at 4am to go fishing. These activities, while centered on increasing self-sufficiency and self-esteem, also inspire development of an ecological consciousness. “We try to be very well-rounded,” Gruber says. “We’re not just training tomorrow’s hunters or fisherman; we’re training tomorrow’s conservationists.” To learn more about Kids and Mentors Outdoors, visit www.kamokids.org, find them on Facebook, or contact Gruber at bwgruber@gmail.com or 608-575-7786.