Want a space for the sharing of ideas, experiences and to build knowledge through a collaborative and democratic process that promotes equity and respect? If so, join the launch of the Urban EE Collective’s Professional Learning Community (PLC):
Thursday, January 19TH, 2012
4:00 PM TO 5:30 PM EST, 1:00 PM TO 2:30 PM PST
Limited Spaces Available
REGISTER HERE BY JANUARY 17TH
This PLC is presented by the EECapacity Project, which supports environmental education and youth and community development in the US, Canada, and Mexico.The Urban EE Collective Facebook Group was created by the EECapacity project four months ago …

“How big will the piranhas be?”
Submitted by Outdoor Afro Brandon Pope, CIG, Education Specialist at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center. His blog exemplifies the need for relevant outdoor leadership to help youth feel more comfort and at ease to explore nature for the first time. Click to enlarge the wonderful pictures below:
Our agency recently hosted a three days/two nights float trip on the Current River in Southeast Missouri for 33 boys from Kansas City. None of them had ever tried any type of outdoor recreational activities outside of sports. So camping, canoeing, …

Check out this insightful set of interviews by Erica Licht, created as part of her thesis project at Vassar College in New York in 2010.
The project examined the relationship between African American women and the recreational wilderness, and more specifically how a recently surfaced movement headed by black women activists and scholars, has re-emphasized this relationship and propelled forward a vision for increased entry and accessibility.
Among those featured are Professor Carolyn Finney, Chelsea Griffie — and yours truly! Enjoy:
 

Saturday, June 11th
10 am to 2 pm
Meet at Rob Hill Campground
Did you know that the Presidio is a birding hotspot in the Bay Area? After a short “binocular bootcamp and birding basics” youth ages 8 to 15 and their families will join experienced birders in teams on different routes throughout the Presidio. After an easy 2 hour walk counting observed bird life, groups will return to Rob Hill Campground to tally their numbers during lunch. The day be topped off with presentations of the day’s numbers by…kids!
Lunch will not be provided, so we recommend …

Discover California’s Past
Splash in the water
Play in a safe place
Camp under the stars

Explore nature

Learn to swim

Play on a team

Follow a trail

Catch a fish
Celebrate their heritage
According to the California Roundtable on Recreation and Tourism, “Numerous studies document that children who do these things are healthier, do better in school, have better social skills and self-image, and lead more fulfilled lives.”
In 2011, please join Outdoor Afro in helping all children, no matter what state they live in and their adult caregivers, exercise these rights through activities such as camping, hiking, biking, birding, …

Outdoor Afro was fortunate to make contact with the American Camp Association (ACA) at the Grassroots Gathering hosted by the Children and Nature Network last summer, and after several enthusiastic conversations about connecting diverse communities to the outdoors, Outdoor Afro and ACA decided to form a new educational alliance. Outdoor Afro believes the camp experience, particularly family camp, can be an important gateway to connect children with nature, create lasting environmental stewardship, and inspire a healthy future.
The American Camp Association is a community of camp professionals who, for nearly …

Green Tech High Student Climate Change Ambassadors (SCCA) attend
Adirondack Youth Summit on Climate Change.

Green Tech Climate Change Ambassadors (from left to right) Qua Shawn Van Tull, Brother Yusuf Burgess, Ms. Amanda Wilson, Jabbar Johnson, Aaron Cassidy and Lionel Mann.

Adirondack Youth Summit was held at The Wild Center (Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks) in Tupper Lake, 2010 on November 9&10. The two-day summit was a successful means for students, educators, administrators and staff to work together to …

The Nature Conservancy is doing some terrific work to help youth connect to the outdoors and foster the next generation of environmental leadership though its LEAF program — Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future, a comprehensive environmental leadership program for teenagers and their educators.
Brigitte Griswold, Outdoor Afro friend and Director of Youth Programs says, “The Program brings students from all different backgrounds to work together towards a shared set of conservation goals. For many of these urban youth, it’s their first time living outside of the city, their first …

Douglas “Birdman” Grey, Outdoor Afro Contributor
As one who spends a lot of time outdoors, I’ve noticed that nature seems harsh at times. Even with birds, their lives can sometimes seem brutal. And some birds even appear to be equipped with “Weapons of War”. Keen and intense eyes, swept-back wings, sleek aerodynamic bodies, razor-sharp talons and menacing beaks.
But the Bird of the Month for this month, doesn’t possess any of these weapons of war. This month’s bird is the common, but not so commonly known, …

Larry Volpe was recently honored aboard a  Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic Cruise around the San Francisco Bay for his innovative use of the outdoors to enhance classroom learning for his 5th grade students at Daniel Lairon Elementary School in Santa Clara County, CA. He said, “I spend 1000-plus hours a year on outdoor trips, gardening, home visits, taking kids to sporting events and much more, [these activities] bring me closer to the students and families and make what I do all the more worthwhile.”
Many thanks to the Children and Nature Network for such an informative …