I AM A GEOGRAPHER
Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated by places and by maps of places. For me the words place and space are interchangeable. You can see the significance of this concept to me even in my brand – Pure Spaces. It was only once I reached high school that I realised how to describe my fascination with place. I am a Geographer.
A lot of people only associate Geography as a subject you could study at school with vague notions of colouring in or learning to recite capital cities or memorise flags. This makes me a little sad and I see a decline in interest in the subject in high schools currently. The fact is that an understanding of geography is vital in the world we live in today and from a certain point of view we are all Geographers.
WE ARE ALL GEOGRAPHERS
The week of November 15th to 19th is Geography Awareness Week according to the National Geographic Society. Here is their definition of Geography:
Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both the physical properties of Earth’s surface and the human societies spread across it. They also examine how human culture interacts with the natural environment and the way locations and places can have an impact on people. Geography seeks to understand where things are found, why they are there, and how they develop and change over time.
I said earlier we are all Geographers. Do you see yourself at all in the definition above?
Geographers seek to understand where things are found, why they are there and how they develop and change over time. At an informal level, the way we choose to live our lives and how we make our day to day decisions is largely informed by how much subconscious geography we understand.
If we actively sought to bring a geographic mindset more consciously into the human experience, I believe we would make better decisions as a collective and live more mindful and sustainable lives.
GROWING A GEOGRAPHIC MINDSET
I have curated a couple of resources here to help those of you keen on growing your geographic mindset and embracing the fact that we are all Geographers.
Obviously there is the National Geographic Society’s website to explore.
I love this Crash Course Geography series. Use the link for the playlist and see below for the intro video:
There are 33 episodes in this Geography series so far and each one of them is brilliant, making Geography so accessible to all of us. #ThatsGeography
I have found that part of a geographic mindset is the desire to explore, to yearn for adventure. Luckily I found an organisation that has helped me meet this eagerness for exploration and adventure. That organisation is GVI.
One of the best things about GVI as an organisation is their focus on ethical impact for good. That is the focus of November’s GVI Virtual Open Day. This month there are two time slots to choose from. Here is the blurb from the REGISTRATION PAGE:
Join us on 20 November as we discuss the many ways you could embark on an ethical adventure in 2022! Fancy learning about coral reef conservation while diving in the turquoise waters of Mexico? Or teaching English amid Costa Rica’s epic mountains? Or, do you want to find out how you can help tackle the most pressing global issues of today? Whether you’re after your next big adventure, the opportunity to make a responsible impact, hanging with like-minded people, or all the above, we’ve got you covered.
I can highly recommend getting involved with GVI. A sure way to grow your geographic mindset.
This post is dedicated to my Year 13 Geography class of 2021. No matter your results for geography, the subject in the “system”, I know you are all great Geographers at heart. I feel confident that you will take your place in the world and that your growing Geographic Mindset will stand you in good stead. Wishing you all the best. #Geo4Lyfe #TakaGeo