I believe that an individual's passion is contagious, and I was left inspired after getting to know Joey Jennings. He is a 26-year-old south bay native who grew up on the peninsula in Palos Verdes. Joey has led by example when thinking about what it means to give back to our community. Joey recalls being involved in sports at the age of three, specifically surfing and skateboarding. When looking into an individual's interest we can't help but wonder how those passions came about. After asking Joey what placed him on this path, he said his father has played a massive role in his athletic development due to being a high-level athlete. Jennings stated that his father was a "sky diving cameraman and had always been adamant about getting outside and reengaging with the outdoors." After talking with Joey about how he became interested in teaching others to surf and skateboard he mentioned, "there were kids who wanted to pick up surfing and their moms knew mine. My mom said I would teach them, and they even offered to pay me, and I thought that was pretty cool". Jennings remembered having fun teaching because it felt as if he was falling in love with the sport all over again while watching others gain an interest. This was when he realized it would be fun to create his own business. Joey is an example of taking what you love and turning that into a career while still being able to help others.

These surf and skating lessons then became something much bigger. That is when The Outdoor Initiative was introduced. The Outdoor Initiative is a non-profit organization that mentors students by using the activities of the outdoors to give children a platform that draws their attention away from their screens. Joey mentioned that children are a lot more vulnerable to the life of media and video games, so he created this organization to get kids plugged back into nature. It is no secret that living in the digital and media age there are added pressures from society that lead to rises in anxiety, depression, and social shyness within people, but those most at risk are children. The Outdoor Initiative decided to act and form connections with local psychiatrists in the south bay that refer children who struggle with the effects of screen addiction and kids who have special needs. The mission that Joey and his non-profit stand for are also a lot more personal because he too has struggled in the way these kids have. It is important to him that this Initiative is used to not only get kids more involved but to build a platform that allows them to be mentored and bonded. Joey followed by saying, "we have worked with a lot of kids who are really struggling and that is the focus here. We want to focus on them".

When this is your line of work there are bound to be some amazing experiences. After asking joey about some of his, he then remembered a time when he told a child “If you pick up this piece of trash you will be saving an animal right now". Once the child understood Joey, he began running around picking up every piece of trash he can find. Jennings then received a text from the child's mother asking what he had done to get her son so excited because he can't stop picking up trash and talking about his day with Joey. This was a time Jennings told me he felt inspired and motivated because he knew that he was pushing forward his passion and philosophy to the next generation. Joey brought to light that, "the mission is to get people to care, not many kids listen to the lectures but getting them out there to understand and show that this will go away if we don’t do anything about it is the goal".

As I was speaking to Joey you can feel his passion and the amount of love he has for this non-profit. The Outdoor Initiative is a platform that allows children to unplug and reengage their interest in something they might not have without the proper guidance and mentorship this program offers. Jennings and his team offer a wide variety of services such as surfing, skating, and hiking all while teaching the younger generation how to treat our planet with compassion. Joey then proceeded to state that it is important to get kids into nature as a form of outlet.

After hearing all the amazing things Joey and his organization stand for it left me wondering what it must feel like to influence and change these kids’ perception of the world to which he responded by feeling relieved and hopeful because he is not only helping build a better future for his community, but he is doing it through means of mentorship and leading by example. The Outdoor Initiative is so much more than a start-up organization but instead, a beautiful platform run by amazing mentors that allow children to be their most authentic selves all while being able to find new passions and interests in a healthy, fun, and supportive environment. Learn more about The Outdoor Initiative here.

Joey can be reached as follows:

Business Number: (310) 483-5750

Email: surfwithjoey@gmail.com

Website: surfwithjoey.com

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BIO:

Maileena Faaita is a south bay native who grew up in Torrance and is currently finishing her bachelor's degree in multidisciplinary studies with honors and will pursue graduate school. She grew up playing soccer and is now a collegiate and semi-professional athlete. Aside from sports Maileena has recognized her passion for writing and storytelling. Being able to capture and share stories for the world to experience is Maileena's ultimate career goal.