In keeping with NWF’s strategic plan, the education work we do in the South Central Region is guided by the belief that people and wildlife will both benefit when all 皇冠体育app官网平台ns have clean air and water, safe communities, easy and equitable access to nature, and protection from the threats of climate change.
Through a diversity of education programs, we provide access to nature, science-based resources, and quality experiential and project-based learning for teachers, students, schools, and communities to enhance wildlife habitats, be more climate resilient, and engage with nature for a lifetime.
Education for Sustainability
CREDIT: MARYA FOWLER
EcoSchools U.S.
Through EcoSchools U.S., students join a global movement of over 19 million environmental leaders engaging in project- and place-based learning to explore climate, biodiversity, and community-centered solutions to the climate crisis and advocate for climate justice. Once a school joins the program for free, they can explore over 50 action cards which include curriculum connections and implementation resources.
Pollinator Gardens and Recovery of the Monarch Butterfly
Monarch Heroes is a 2-year PreK-12 program that engages students in the recovery of the monarch butterfly, whose populations have plummeted in the last 25 years primarily due to the loss of native milkweed, the monarch’s sole larval host plant. NWF designed Monarch Heroes specifically to improve science engagement and motivation among under-resourced PreK-12 students connecting them to the natural world through project- and place-based learning. Monarch Mission is NWF’s bilingual curriculum.
CREDIT: KAREN BISHOP
Increasing Teacher Comfort and Managing Classes Outdoors
Outdoor Learning Cohort (OLC) increases comfort managing and teaching students outdoors, instills stewardship of gardens, and lifts up peer to peer learning. Lessons that increase the self-efficacy of teaching in the outdoors are combined with lessons in biodiversity and garden maintenance to ensure the initial investments made in school gardens endure. Small grants provide additional infrastructure to each campus that joins the OLC to more easily utilize the spaces as outdoor classrooms. A series of evening engagement sessions allow for comradery as a cohort, shared best practices and planning time.
CREDIT: KATE UNGER
Schools as Hubs for Climate Resilience and Community Engagement
Resilience in Schools and Communities (RiSC) is a 2-year program for high school students in the greater Houston area that empowers students, teachers, and community members with the knowledge and skills needed to help make their schools and communities more resilient to the impacts of a changing climate. Through a watershed study and vulnerability assessment of their community, students apply critical thinking skills to identify and design practical, nature-based solutions (rain gardens, bioswales, pocket prairies, tree planting) that will mitigate flooding and or the heat island effect on their campus and in their community.
CREDIT: MICHAEL VALDEZ
Youth Leadership and Environmental Justice
Earth Tomorrow is National Wildlife Federation’s longest standing environmental justice education program. The leadership development and environmental education program creates opportunities for youth in front line communities, particularly youth of color, to deepen their understanding of environmental issues and provide solutions to address environmental injustices. Earth Tomorrow accomplishes this through school-year programming in addition to a 1-week intensive residential summer program, the Earth Tomorrow Summer Institute.
CREDIT: JILLIAN MITCHELL
Communities and Volunteer Certification
The Monarch Stewards certification program provides volunteers with the skills and knowledge needed for the conservation of monarch butterflies and all pollinators. To ensure the survival of the monarch butterfly, renowned for its remarkable 3,000-mile migratory journey between Canada and south - central Mexico, conservation strategies and community involvement are essential. NWF is actively engaging volunteers and communities in the effort.
