National Youth Development & Nature Cohort launched to help youth #GetIntoNature to reach their full potential
The Children & Nature Network is pleased to announce that nine organizations from across the U.S. have been selected for a Youth Development & Nature Cohort designed to enhance local partnerships, build cultural awareness and engage youth in meaningful outdoor experiences. This year long project is funded by the National Recreation Foundation who is partnering with the Tom’s of Maine #GetIntoNature campaign to invest $3 million over three years to connect youth to outdoor experiences and the vital role they play in protecting the planet. Pairing youth development with time in nature is proven to help young people reach their full potential. Research also shows that meaningful, positive experiences in nature guide children and youth toward care for the environment.1
The cohort is made up of the following organizations who see promise in programs at the intersection of youth development and nature:
- African Community & Housing Development, Seattle, WA
- Cincinnati Nature Center, Cincinnati, OH
- Cities Connecting Children to Nature Austin Youth Leadership, Austin, TX
- Community Nature Connection, Los Angeles, CA
- Eagle Eye Institute, Holyoke, MA
- Favor House, Atlanta, GA
- Hip Hop for Change, Oakland, CA
- Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area, CA
- Western North Carolina Nature Center, Asheville, NC
These organizations span different geographic regions and place a high priority on amplifying BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) staff and youth voices. They were selected to participate in the cohort because they have innovative youth development programs in place and a strong desire to build upon them with more funding and support. “Programming at these organizations ranges from immersive time in nature to integration of the arts and fitness in outdoor settings, to providing basic services and tapping into cultural and indigenous ways of being, highlighting the many unique ways youth experience the outdoors,” noted Francis Mendoza, Manager of Community Leadership with the Children & Nature Network.
One example is Hip Hop for Change’s Agents of Change summer camp, where youth from urban landscapes spend a week in the woods exploring the artistic elements of hip hop (ie. poetry, beatmaking, breakdancing, etc.) with nature as their inspiration. Another is Favor House, whose track & field and horseback riding programs develop youth leadership in the outdoors in a way that is uniquely different from standard sleepaway camps. The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area is working to revitalize their sacred dance ceremonies, so they can pass on these traditions to the next generation within their tribe.
The Youth Development & Nature Cohort will provide participating organizations with opportunities for peer learning, technical assistance and grant funding to weave strategies for social-emotional learning into nature-based programming—and enhance youth development activities with the context and benefits of nature.
Youth development and nature-based programming are both broad fields employing a wide range of approaches to achieve positive outcomes for youth. Research shows that spending time in nature makes children and youth happier, healthier,2 and more successful in school.3 Youth development programming builds social emotional health and well-being. When nature connection and youth development are integrated thoughtfully, participants experience growth in leadership skills, agency, personal development and cultural and community connection. Members of the cohort will prioritize the intersection of these two fields.
Citations: 1. Nature play can encourage care for the earth | 2. Nature can improve health and well-being | 3. Nature can improve academic outcomes
Infographic: Reaching youth’s full potential through nature
Literature Review: Youth Development & Nature
Research Digest: Nature Connection for Youth Development
-
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Women’s Herstory Month: Nature connectors and protectors who inspire the children and nature movement
-
FEATURE
ELSO’s summer STEAM camp connects Black and Brown youth to nature through culture
-
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Nature helped Nicole Jackson see possibilities over trauma; today she helps others do the same
-
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Girls Who Click: Inspiring young female nature photographers
-
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Steam Beans is demystifying nature — and science — for Black girls
-
RICHARD LOUV
How to create a neighborhood butterfly zone — and a homegrown national park