APOLLO BEACH, Fla. — We all know how difficult it can be to find the right balance as a child. There are groups working right now to change that by developing positive attitudes and focusing on the outdoors here in the Tampa Bay area.
On Friday, the kids at FWC’s Suncoast Youth Conservation Center in Apollo Beach learned there’s nothing like getting outside with friends to fish.
“I can feel in my pulse that I can believe I’m going to catch a fish today,” said 8-year-old King.
About 40 kids joined a youth fishing clinic through FWC’s Florida Network of Youth Conservation Centers and their partners at ImPowered Minds. The young fisherman set high goals.
“My goal is to catch three fish in one day,” King said.
“Some kids were like, ‘No, I don’t want to be here. I want to play my game,'” said Jasen Glanton, CEO of ImPowered Minds. “But believe it or not, at the end of the day, they’re “excited. They’re happy.”
It’s not just about making a great catch. The clinic focuses on promoting positive mental health while learning to fish, helping to develop important life and outdoor skills.
Fishing is also personal to Glanton.
“My dad took me and my brother and sister fishing every Thursday, and what I learned is that’s where all the mentoring happened,” Glanton said. “Something we believe in is that if you can raise a child’s self-image, you can raise their IQ, and that’s what we’re really focused on here: treating them the right way, teaching them humanity, and it’s all about human prosperity. . .”
The kids learned the basics, heard words of wisdom from speakers like Orlando Guides, president of the Tampa City Council, and were ready to drop a line.
“When you can’t catch something one day, you can have another chance the next day,” said 8-year-old Torrence.
It’s all an effort to develop important life skills while creating lasting memories.
“When they fish, it’s over,” Glanton said. “They are fishermen, or fisherwomen, forever.”
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