Hutton Settlement youth, Filipe DeAndrade overcome obstacles, learn from National Geographic, great outdoors

A rainforest became a refuge for a young boy in Brazil fleeing abuse at home. Today, Filipe DeAndrade is a National Geographic filmmaker who credits animals with saving his life. He wants to preserve their wild spaces.

DeAndrade, star of National Geographic Wild’s “Untamed,” is scheduled to talk about finding his life’s passions Wednesday night at Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox.

The second show in a series of three, the “Fox Presents: National Geographic Live” event will have DeAndrade sharing stories onstage and using the screen to show film clips and still photos. An audience Q&A follows led by emcee and KHQ news anchor Stephanie Vigil.

DeAndrade has shared his story in publications that he was born in Brazil into poverty and surrounded by addiction and abuse. He spent those early years dodging the blows of a violent, drug-addicted father. By age 5, he and the family immigrated and eventually settled in Cleveland, but his father abandoned them one year later.

“I’m from Brazil, so I think the wild is in my blood,” he told the Tico Times in Costa Rica. “Unfortunately, I realized that animals are often stripped of any voice. I grew up in the United States, and as an immigrant I felt the same about myself, that I didn’t have a voice. So, I naturally identified with them.”

He fell in love with photography as a way to tell their stories. “I want to give animals their megaphone, people should hear them. At challenging times, the fact of being connected to wildlife helped me get a grip on myself. I found a purpose.”

It’s a message that resonates with Parker Ritzmann, 18, a high school senior who lives at Hutton Settlement. He’ll be among 30 guests from Hutton invited to be in the audience through a STCU sponsorship.

“Outdoor learning has been part of my life the past two years, so I can’t miss this,” Ritzmann said. “Seeing someone who shares a story about how he was able to find a passion through serving or filmmaking for conservation of land, and seeing that passion, I think will be an inspiration for me, as well.”

This past summer, Ritzmann led a weeklong backpacking expedition guiding several Hutton residents ages 11-16 in the Olympic National Park. In doing that, he practiced National Geographic curriculum skills such as observation, communication, collaboration and problem-solving.

Ritzmann also has learned the details of the coffee business, working with two teens at Hutton to develop HOPE Coffee, which stands for Hutton Opportunities for Professional Exploration. Ritzmann said HOPE Coffee has connected him to his birthplace of Ethiopia where coffee is grown, while Hutton’s outdoor programs have grown his curiosity about nature and the world.

Founded in 1919 by Levi Hutton, the Spokane Valley settlement serves as a home for children ages 5-18 in need of long-term care.

Staying in cottages with live-in house parents, the children attend West Valley schools. Hutton also has a tradition of farming and conservation on its 319 acres and involves residents in animal care, gardening, tree farming and nature studies.

Its programs include the Hutton Valley Farm, Odyssey Outdoor, service leadership and arts and culture. All are aimed at promoting resilience in children who have endured trauma, said David Milliken, director of its educational programs. Hutton started to use the National Geographic’s learning tools about three years ago, and he said it parallels DeAndrade’s connection to nature.

“Really, every kid to various degrees comes to Hutton Settlement with the mindset and perspective that the world has been untrustworthy, sometimes hostile, and they oftentimes internally feel they’re bad and they are alone in that,” Milliken said.

The first focus is creating strong attachment-based relationships between them and house parent staff, he said. Then, the intent of educational programs are to connect the kids to a world they may not have experienced. “Oftentimes, that’s the natural world whether it be through gardening, sustainable farming or outdoor adventure.”

These show that the world is interconnected, has beauty and inspires awe and wonder, Milliken added. “You start to see them wake up, not only to see the world differently but to start seeing themselves differently in that world. They do have a deep value and place in this world and serve a function.”

He said the National Geographic program has an inspire, advocate and explore mindset and an ASK model – attitudes, skills and knowledge. Attitude focuses include curiosity, responsibility and empowerment. Skills involve observation, communication, collaboration and problem-solving. Knowledge centers on the human journey, changing planet, wildlife and wild places.

A few of the Hutton staff members became certified National Geographic educators. Sometimes, National Geographic shows are watched, “to inspire kids and give access to stories beyond our local borders,” Milliken said. Other steps include outreach to other cultures such as a recent Zoom session with El Salvador coffee farmers.

Hutton also partners with the West Valley Outdoor Learning Center that includes the building of a yurt during the past couple of years for nature education. Hutton’s land has 80 acres of forest. “We built a trail so kids from West Valley can come to tour Hutton.” Older Hutton residents will be trained under the ASK model to lead.

In outdoor programs, Milliken said he sees children more at ease and describing a connection to nature or animals.

“I’ve also noticed on outdoor adventures when you put these kids in leadership roles, you see the light go off and the confidence level go up and the ability to overcome fear. You start to see courage come into play. Parker (Ritzmann) is a good example of that.”

Ritzmann said he is considering Gonzaga University, Stanford, Harvard or Princeton and a business degree to be a coffee entrepreneur. He agreed the recent rainforest trip was pivotal as he learned about meditating quietly in nature, observation and empowerment of others as he led.

“I actually became more curious about the whole rainforest, the responsibility of getting permits and understanding the type of terrain the group and I were about to face. Over Team Trek, which is a five-day overnight adventure, I practiced observing the outdoors through mindfulness meditation practices and at the same time observing how our team worked together.”

Collaboration was key as he took responsibility outdoors. “I’m a pretty passive person, so being able to direct people was hard for me, but understanding when to direct was pivotal on the trip.”