Dr. Phillips boy's passion for conservation grows

On Sunday, June 22, 8-year-old Aaron Briskman stood outside his home in Dr. Phillips to sell mangoes. 

Though he is shy, he was excited to sell mangoes. Holding one of the biggest mangoes out of the bunch, he asked customers to hold it and see how heavy it was. He was fascinated. 

The neighborhood comes out once per year when Aaron Briskman has his mango stand to support his work. The proceeds from the stand help him attend conservation camps, where he gets to learn about nature and wildlife and how to care for the planet. 

His parents, Zev and Mollie Briskman, said having this mango stand so their son can attend camp teaches him a hard work ethic.

Rather than having a lemonade stand like most kids in the neighborhood, Mollie Briskman thought her son could sell the mangoes from the tree in their front yard since the family wasn’t sure what to do with all the mangoes.

The family grows and cares for the mango tree, and when they’re ripe, they serve the community fresh mangoes. 

Aaron Briskman then sells the kosher mangoes at the stand for $1.50 to $3 per mango. 

He said he enjoys selling the mangoes and making money so he can save for conservation camps and help those less fortunate. 

His interest and curiosity in conservation started early, around the age of 3. 

“We went to a lot of museums,” Mollie Briskman said. “They used to have exhibits of recycled material made into sculptures, and he found it fascinating.” 

Since then, Aaron Briskman has been reading and learning about wildlife, nature conservancy and recycling materials. 

Growing up has come with challenges, but learning about conservation has helped him through them. 

“He definitely struggles a lot to find his place amongst people and school, but it seems like he’s finally found something that he really enjoys and he can have his little escape,” Mollie Briskman said. “It’s like a form of art to him.” 

To support his interest in conservation, his parents signed him up for conservation camps at Disney World and Sea World, where he gets to further his knowledge on environmental topics. 

Aaron Briskman has been attending these conservation camps since he was 5. According to his parents, he comes home from camp every day ready to teach them something new, with sparks in his eyes. 

He collects trash around his neighborhood and turns it into creative items where the limit is as far as his imagination goes. Any trash can be turned into art to lower littering and help the planet, he said. He made a bee habitat out of litter he found in the neighborhood and hung it on a tree outside their house.

Sometimes, he will just pick up trash and throw it out to help nature. 

He attended a conservation camp at Disney last week and is attending a conservation camp at SeaWorld this week.

According to Disney’s website, staff at the camp introduce ideas and explore subjects via real-world applications and the problems that accompany them. Students learn how to use their abilities, curiosity and creativity to face those challenges, recognizing their own potential as they do. Students learn to understand animal needs, conservation efforts and the importance of protecting wildlife. 

SeaWorld’s camp provides immersive, educational experiences focusing on marine biology, animal care and conservation efforts with hands-on activities, behind-the-scenes tours and interactions with animals.

“I found a bottle on the floor backstage at Disney camp and I figured it wouldn’t be nice to leave it behind,” Aaron Briskman said. “Trees aren’t supposed to be littered on, because if they are, there’s not going to be any trees or people.” 

Mollie Briskman said camp has helped Aaron Briskman overcome a lot of his fears through the understanding of how things affect the environment, like snakes, bugs and more. 

His favorite part about last year’s Sea World camp: seeing the Orca show. Orcas are one of his favorite animals.

Now, Aaron Briskman is in a competition to become a Junior Ranger and learn from Jeff Corwin, an American biologist and wildlife conservationist. 

In his own time, Aaron Briskman tries to teach others about how conservation works and what they can do to help the planet. 

“Reduce, reuse, recycle,” Aaron Briskman said. 

When he is older, he hopes to work in the environmental field and help birds. 

Zev Briskman is confident his son will grow up to pursue his dreams. 

“I can see him in the future, doing something really, really creative with recyclables,” Zev Briskman said. “Every time he goes (to camp) he comes back with more fun facts and he seems to enjoy it more and more. He’s constantly telling us little tidbits of knowledge here and there and it’s really interesting, because he actually absorbs it, tries to emulate (it) and he tries to teach us right from wrong.”