In today's urbanized world, children have minimal exposure to nature, which impairs their ability to develop healthy relationships with the environment. Education must emerge as a pivotal force in tackling current environmental challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, nurturing a profound human-nature connection that empowers individuals to heal and regenerate our planet.
Assume we want to build a future in which all life on the planet can thrive together. In that case, providing children the learning environments to develop a deep and long-lasting relationship with nature. Through this process, they also strengthen their connections with others and themselves. This work has three pillars: re-connect; awaken the naturalist within, and embody action for regeneration.
We provide students access to nature in short to 35-day programs that combine academic knowledge, physical and experiential immersions in nature (awe), and socio-emotional learning. These experiences strengthen the students' capacity for critical systems thinking, empathy with nature, and empowerment for action (change-making).
Incorporating nature as an essential and powerful ally in education and working with a living systems approach facilitates breaking the barriers between humans and nature, strengthening students' ability to think and act using a living systems approach.
Our work has spread to many educational organizations and schools around Colombia using our approach or parts of it. Last year we reached 13 new cities in the country with our solution. It has also been recognized globally as a successful and innovative project addressing global educational challenges. A +160k GBP project based on our approach is currently being implemented by OpEPA. We continue to develop and move forward with teacher training programs that directly provide teachers with skills and tools in Latin America. Working with ally organizations, we constantly create resources to share with and stimulate educators and families worldwide, we are leading a global initiative NbE for Planetary Health with IUCN and launched the Greening Schoolgrounds Global Action Agenda.
A teacher can incorporate nature-based activities outdoors to engage students' senses, fostering curiosity and connection. Mentoring critical thinking and emphasizing interconnectedness, alongside activities nurturing the mind, body, and soul, can deepen the bond with nature and promote collective action for regeneration.
