From camping under the stars at Larz Anderson Park to surfing the rippling waves at Nantasket Beach, the Outdoor Adventure Club never runs out of opportunities for students to get away from school and connect with nature.

Founded by Brookline Teen Center Interim Executive Director Paul Epstein, the Outdoor Adventure Club provides students with the opportunity to collectively explore the outdoors and stay active. Epstein said the idea for starting the club originated from the period of online and hybrid schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We got kids out on our first outings during the pandemic, but it should have happened years ago,” Epstein said. “The idea is just to get students outside together and either capitalizing on an already existing love of the outdoors or cultivating a love for the outdoors that could hopefully be a lifelong thing.”

According to senior Zach Gale, the club is unique in its format of only conducting meetings outside of school.

“It’s fun, not academic and you don’t have to be good at writing or good at math. So many other clubs are more academically focused, which is not a bad thing at all, but with the Outdoor Adventure Club, you get to enjoy nature and be outside in the fresh New England air together with other people,” Gale said.

Epstein said the goal is to organize outings at least twice a month with a wide range of possible activities, depending on the season and students’ interests. Past events have included hiking in Blue Hills and biking through downtown Boston.

“If it ain’t fun, we ain’t doing it. We have to have fun. That’s the baseline,” Epstein said. “Hiking is our bread and butter because we can do it anywhere. We definitely want to think about doing some more exciting things in the future. I want to go camping on the Boston Harbor Islands, and kids have also talked about a culminating event at some point, like a trip to the Grand Canyon or a multi-day hike on the Appalachian Trail.”

Epstein said with many opportunities to join different adventures, the club welcomes students of all experience and ability levels.

“We have students that are almost ready to qualify for the Olympics and kids that struggle to walk a mile. It’s really important that anyone who wants to participate can. We want to be accessible to everyone and also foster a spirit of camaraderie,” Epstein said.

For freshman Araaz Jadahv, the club’s welcoming community has helped him better adjust as a new student and a part of the English Language Learner program.

“I wanted to join the club because I’d never been hiking before, and the adventures have been really fun. Everyone is always willing to help you,” Jadahv said. “There is always a fun atmosphere, and the activities really help you get to know other people.”

Epstein hopes that expanding students’ opportunities to be outdoors can help them foster a better connection with nature amidst increasing time spent in front of screens in their daily lives.

“One time I stumbled across something called Nature Deficit Disorder, and I wonder if not all people under the age of 21 have a mild case of that growing up in a digital world. In some way, the club is a small-scale effort to combat that,” Epstein said. “Once kids get to watch the sunset from the top of the hill at Larz Anderson Park or once they zoom in towards the shore while riding a wave at Nantasket beach, that feeling of being immersed in the outdoors cannot be anything but exhilarating and life affirming.”