Generation Trex: Mythoughts

By Stephen Nawotniak

Generation TreX: My Thoughts is a journal recounting the personal experiences and insights of a young man while he plans a 27-month non-motorized trek of service throughout America.

1/24/00 - What will become of this quest? Will anyone care? I don't have an answer for these questions and I'm not sure I really want to. To be honest, I'm feeling a little tired of this idealistic crusade. I have no desire to make it a big hoopla event. I've been writing that the success of the Trek depends upon my committment to the principles and not the attention it recieves. In reality, however, I have been living the opposite. I have gotten so focused on the image and organization of the Trek that I have stopped simply doing it. This Trek is about exemplifying certain qualities in life, not getting on a TV show. It is about having the courage to display an example for others to follow. I don't have control of its scale (how many people hear about it), I just have control of its success ( living its principles regardless of the circumstances). If I make it home it will be nothing short of a miracle. I don't know if I will complete the goal of the 10,350 mile Trek. I do know that I believe in its mission and have to try. I may set out on the Trek, but it is the support team and the people I meet along the way that will bring me home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 25, 2000
• ISBN: 9781462099597

Stephen Nawotniak

Stephen Nawotniak, OTR/L is a licensed occupational therapist who lives with bipolar disorder. He currently resides in Buffalo, New York.

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All Rights Reserved © 2000 by Stephen Nawotniak

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by Writers Club Press

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ISBN: 0-595-09867-3

ISBN: 978-1-4620-9959-7 (ebook)

Contents

Epigraph

Foreword

Chronology

Introduction

Afterword

Appendix

Glossary

To all those who believed in me when I did not…

Your support has made all the difference.

Epigraph

Our souls would have no rainbows, if our eyes did not shed tears.

Native American Quote

Foreword

It is a pleasure and a privilege to write this foreword about Stephen J. Nawotniak and his opus. Generation TreX is the first of a trilogy that he is writing. His book is truly interesting and inspirational. This young man epitomizes the very essence of American youth working to build a better society, and indeed, a better world. One look at his background is enough to convince any reader of his merits and his vision. Steve is presently the Director of Generation TreX, for which he entitled his book. The work is a preamble to an ambitious project he has developed as the basis of his Master’s Thesis. This entire project springs from Steve’s extensive Scouting experiences and his desire to serve as a role model, through his actions, for the youth of this nation.

Steve earned an Associates Degree in Forest Recreation, with honors, at Paul Smith’s College. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Earth Science Education from Buffalo State College, and is presently completing his Master of Science Degree at the same institution. Steve is an Eagle Scout and he has served as Assistant Scoutmaster and Scoutmaster for two different Troops including one for the inner-city youth of Buffalo, New York. He is a veteran of seven years of summer camp staff service at Schoellkopf Scout Reservation operated by the Greater Niagara Frontier Council of New York State. He is also certified by the Boy Scouts of America to teach a variety of skills courses at the national level such as survival skills, camping, ropes course programs, trekking, and canoeing to name only a few. Steve is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships including the prestigious Martin Luther King Scholarship and the Rotary Club Youth Leadership Award.

Steve’s book, Generation TreX, is designed to document his preparations for a journey unique in its geographical and moral scope. Starting in May 2000, Eagle Scout Stephen Horns Nawotniak will embark on a 27 month, 10,500 mile journey around the USA involving hiking, sailing, biking, and canoeing, and other forms of non-motorized travel. Along the way youth organizations, family, and friends will accompany Steve for various sections of the route. In the course of the Trek, the team will visit targeted cities and towns to assist in planning, organizing, and implementing outdoor, environmental, or community based service projects. The Trek is a unique event in order to attract attention to the message of responsibility and positive action and bring recognition and support to youth organizations and individuals who exemplify these principles. His Generation TreX project is born of the belief that service to others and personal responsibility are vital attributes that young people must develop. It is designed to call attention to the need for leadership development, acceptance of personal responsibility, and the cultivation of a positive self-image in today’s youth.

His first book is written in the style of a journal, documenting his daily travails and thoughts in preparation for his trek. The most significant aspects of his work are his philosophical observations and comments. His introspections are pointed and prophetic; his utterances profound. To me this trip is a tribute to the spirit of humanity, is only one erudite expression found amid a treasure trove of sage remarks. Stephen J. Nawotniak’s Generation TreX is a must read for anyone wishing to measure the moral fibre of today’s youth. Steve’s book reflects his vision, as well as the hopes of people all over the world, of a responsible youth movement that will lead to the very best possible leaders of tomorrow.

Zan Dale Robinson, Ph D.

Departments of English Erie Community College and Buffalo State College

(Dr. Robinson is the recipient of the prestigious State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching)

Chronology

Generation TreX History

Introduction

Hello. Before you read on, you should know that this is a very personal book. I would like to take this time to introduce you to my thoughts and the journey of my soul. You see, this is my story—the story of a youth growing into adulthood. I