About Ventures in Nature
Our mission is to provide children of all socioeconomic backgrounds direct nature interactions to encourage their physical and emotional social wellbeing. These experiences will promote prosilience, instill tolerance, provide social environmental justice and inspire future land stewards.
Debbie Ibrahim
Director
My name is Debbie Ibrahim or Ms. Debbie as the kids call me.
I am an informal teacher with 36 years of experience & have taught ages two-seniors. I live in Summit NJ since 2000 with my husband & have raised 3 daughters here.
Philosophy: Children need to be outdoors playing with curiosity & the freedom to imagine. Nature needs to be part of our children's lives on a daily basis for not only physical strength & motor skills, but most important for mental health.
I graduated from CUNY - Hunter with a BA in Bio-Psychology and in 2019 completed my Child Life certificate. I have training in DBT, Transformative, and Mindfulness. I recently received my certificate from ANFT as a Forest Therapist/Forest Bathing.
Other Certifications include CPR/ First Aid, Rutger's Environmental Stewardship/Tree Stewardship, NJ Audubon Naturalist Training & National Geographic Teaching Certification and NOLS Wilderness First Aid
Tony Rivera
Teacher
I am a Paraprofessional at Livingston Ave School in Cranford NJ. I have held my 100 ton masters captain license for the past 10 years.
My goal is to get children out of the house and into the woods where I can share my love of fishing and the outdoors. Hopefully, imparting my knowledge gleaned from over thirty years of fishing and hunting.
Liam Ryan
Hello, I’m Liam Ryan. As a boy scout, I was introduced to the adventures that nature has to offer. I actively volunteered in nature conservation projects and taught the younger scouts skills like whittling, cooking, cleaning, building fires, and other survival techniques. With an adventure-seeking spirit, I have a passion for outdoor activities like rock climbing, camping, and hiking. During my time in college, I took a leadership position within my fraternity (Phi Sigma Kappa) as treasurer and took a mentor role to many of our younger members.
Co-Teachers
Nick Jones
Co-Teacher
Hello I'm Nick. I am well versed in identifying plants and mushrooms and their various properties. I am also competent in bushcraft (foraging, sourcing and purifying water, shelter building, and fire craft). In my free time I enjoy reading, backpacking, and climbing. Certifications include Leave No Trace- Master Educator and NOLS Wilderness First Aid.
Laura Guempel
Hi there! I’m Laura Guempel (rhymes with simple) and I’m excited to join the Trails for Kids team this summer. I hold a Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education and a Master’s of Science in Speech Language Pathology, both from Seton Hall University. As a Speech Therapist, I’ve worked with children as young as 1.5 years old up to Geriatric aged patients in the medical setting. In my free time I love being outdoors (especially hiking and swimming at the beach) and playing music. I have played piano and sung for 20 years! I’m looking forward to getting to know all my new friends and their loved ones this summer as we hit the trails together.
Sophia Fandino
Hi! My name is Sophia Fandino, I’m 20 years old and I am currently an undergraduate student at Rowan University, going into my senior year. I’m a journalism major, with 3 certificates of study in creative writing, PR & news, as well as creative industries & entrepreneurship. I’ve always loved reading, writing, and storytelling! You can read some of my own work on TheWhitonline.com where I will be the Opinion section editor this fall & upcoming spring. I also worked with Rowan Radio as a weekly on air host, where I was also a board operator/DJ. Additionally, I’ve worked with young ones a majority of my teen-young adult life! Throughout late middle school + high school, I volunteered at my local church’s summer camp. Last year, I worked with the YMCA in Garwood where I was a lead camp counselor! And I look forward to having a fun-filled time working with Trails for Kids further this summer!
