Jimini Smoot, center, laughs while fishing with Jeremiah Twiggs, left, Malachi Smoot, background, and Warren Eanes, right, Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. The boys, all members of the Cape Girardeau-based Honorable Young Men's Club, attended the retreat to learn about teambuilding and natural conservation, as many had grown up in the city and had never been on a similar camping trip before.

TYLER GRAEF ~ tgraef@semissourian.com Jeremiah Twiggs unhooks a bait minnow to release it back into a pond before heading back to the cabin for dinner after fishing Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. Twiggs, 13, said he usually fishes in Capaha Pond in the middle of town in Cape Girardeau, where he lives, but said while fishing with his friends at the remote pond, he'd caught a sunfish, three bluegill and nearly one catfish that managed to loose his hook.

Honorable Young Men's Club co-founder Kweku Arkorful, left, and Keontae Dixon, far right, offer guidance to Malachi Smoot, center, as he tries archery Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. Arkorful, who was born in Ghana and later raised in Chicago, said it was important to him to provide the boys with the opportunity to run and play in nature. "I had a bow when I was young, and we would climb trees and do all of that. I want them to take home a sense of responsibility for nature and help keep their families and friends honest, you know, when it comes to picking up trash, but more than that, I want them to be boys and have fun." The aim of the Honorable Young Men's Club, Arkorful said, is largely based on inculcating a sense of respect in the boys, but he added that self-respect is just as important. Learning new skills and exploring unfamiliar locales, he said, should help facilitate that goal. (Published July 1)

From left, Lemuel Gilbert, Bradford Woods, and Kazyrion Murray wade through a shallow creek while looking for fish and crawdads Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Published July 1)

Keontae Dixon, left, examines a fish caught in one of the Missouri Department of Conservation sampling nets as Jimini Smoot, right looks on Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Published July 1)

Keontae Dixon, left, shows off a minnow-sized smallmouth bass as Jimini Smoot, center, and Missouri Department of Conservation agent Salvador Mondragon, left, look on Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. Mondragon told the boys the fish had probably hatched only weeks previously. "Part of what we're doing out here is to try and give these kids a familiarity and even a sense of wonder about the natural resources in the area," Mondragon later said. "And the best way to do that is to let them out in the water and splash around for themselves." (Published July 1)

Honorable Young Men's Club co-founder Cantrell Andrews, left, puts 13-year-old Ky Anderson in a playful headlock during an idle moment of a teambuilding camping trip Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County.

Ketavion Dixon, right, hugs his older brother, Keontae, after the two faced off in the final round of an archery tournament Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. Keontae, 14, beat his younger brother, but as the top two finishers, both boys won rights to sleep in a cabin by the pond instead of camping in a nearby clearing. Most of the Honorable Young Men Club members took to the hiking, fishing and archery with enthusiasm, but were hesitant to actually sleep outdoors, instead preferring the comfort of the cabin. Shortly after the contest, Keontae lost his claim to the cabin on an archery bet with another boy, but when storms rolled in that evening, the whole group ended up sleeping in the cabin. (Published July 1)

Derrick Clark, 12, laughs while trying to escape the grip of his friend Lemuel Gilbert, right, who was trying unsuccessfully to throw Clark into a pond Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Published July 1)

Malachi Smoot, 12, races down a gravel path to catch up with friends on their way from a pond to an archery range Thursday, June 27, 2019, near the Castor River in Bollinger County. (Published July 1)