GCST 1970 Environmental Justice and Nature Immersion

* Cohort one took place successfully in the fall of 2023. The program was 85 % BIPOC youth. All students completed course work and nature immersion experience, as well as pre-camp and post camp community building meetings and surveys
* Several students are now interning with Three Rivers Park District
* Two students are now interning with Just Solar, a year-long project exploring barriers in access to solar in Minnesota
* Most students reported a change in their educational and career pathway as a direct outcome of participating in this program
* Celebration at Silverwood Hall was attended by more than 350 community members, with a Native American drum and dance performance by Spirit Boy. Students shared their experiences and the documentary of cohort one, Harmonies in the Trees
* Second leadership part of program has been successfully created GCST 2970 Outdoor Experiential Program Leadership, which will run in Fall of 2023, enabling students to return as leaders and gain additional college credits
* All four school districts have confirmed continued ?partnership' and St Paul Public Schools and Mounds View have expressed interest in future programming
* Other community organizations have confirmed their continued commitment, including Save The Boundary Waters and the International Wolf Center
* Exploring taking a cohort of underrepresented middle and high school students for similar program at Baker Reserve in June 2023 in collaboration with Edina Public Schools
* Program participants presented at two national conferences, AASHE, the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and AEE, the International Association of Experiential Education
* Documentary from first cohort was produced
* Participants are organizing a winter story telling event with Ojibwe elder and plant expert Hope Flanagan on March 3rd, 2023.
* On the bus ride home, students completed post-immersion surveys and these were the key themes:- Friendship - Community - Learning about nature from an Indigenous perspective - Tried something new (kayaking, mountain biking, being away from home) - Feeling safe - Belonging - Reconnected with nature and self - More confident in future career pathway
* Building a website for the program to increase visibility; This grant supported two groups of underrepresented students participating in an environmental justice and nature immersion experience, one at Camp Northern Lights in Fall 2023 (college and high school students) and one at Baker Lake Outdoor Learning Center in June 2023 (Middle school students). This work was completed successfully through working diligently to create reciprocal partnerships of trust, friendship and mutual respect. Students' experience was at the center of this work and the team met once a month for planning meetings throughout the year. Feedback was welcomed and the program is under constant improvement due to student and staff feedback and evaluation. Outcome 1 Program increases access for BIPOC students in nature and strengthens their cultural heritage/ identity 47 students participated in this program in fall of 2022 and summer of 2023, and 28 are registered for the fall cohort. At least 85 percent of the students who participated were BIPOC, including Latinx, Somali, African American, Native American, Asian American and a small number of European Americans. Students completed pre and post-immersion surveys to assess their knowledge on cultural heritage and environmental justice issues. The results from the two surveys demonstrate that students' have significantly increased knowledge of and engagement in environmental justice issues after the program. Also, students describe having a much stronger connection with nature. 99 % report wanting to continue that relationship and connection with he natural world. Students co-created a documentary, Harmonies in the Trees, of their experiences that has been shared at NHCC, Three Rivers Park district, and their schools. It was also screened at the International Association of Experiential Education Conference in North Carolina in November 2022. The documentary explores their enhanced access to nature and cultural heritage.
Strategic Program intentionally aligns with the strategic goals of NHCC, NHCC's GCST department, MinnState's Equity 2030 plan and the strategic plans of the YMCA and Three Rivers Park District. The program also aligns with school districts' plan to increase social emotional learning opportunities and local outdoor opportunities for MS and HS students.
Measurable Participating Students demonstrate a significantly increased awareness of cultural heritage, environmental Justice issues and equity and access to outdoor spaces. The fall cohort ran as a college class and all the enrolled students completed all 4-credit class and related course materials. All students achieved a grade A-C in the fall class. Data from the pre and post immersion surveys identifies knowledge acquisition from the program. In course evaluation forms provided to students at the end of the program students described their exposure to different cultural heritages and education pathways Realistic 75 college, middle and high school students will have participated in the first year of this program. These students will reflect NHCC's, Brooklyn Park's and Edina's diverse communities. Time-Bound The cohorts will take place in Fall 2022 & Summer of 2023. Fall of 2023 and Summer of 2024 are now in the works! Inclusive The program creates a sense of belong for all students from different cultural heritages in nature-based programming and learning. The program is designed to remove barriers in access and opportunities to outdoor places. Students who participated in the program described: feeling safe, making friends, belonging, having a stronger connection to nature, having fun, not wanting to leave, having a stronger sense of their future plans. Equitable This grant helped ensure that students could equitably participate without the barrier of costs and access to supplies such as hammocks, flashlights, sleeping bags, yoga mats, backpacks, hiking shoes, field guides and nature based literature, poetry and non-fiction, and reusable picnic sets, which are expensive. The knowledge and wisdom of elders, artists and musicians, and environmental justice community leaders is a respected and integral part of the program, and consultants were equitably compensated for their time.
Outcome 2 Student Academic Success Some K-12 students particpate in activities at outdoor learning centers. However, this opportunity is not available for all students in Minnesota and costs can be prohibitively expensive.This type of immersive, experiential, outdoor learning is very different to students' typical educational experience & enables high school students to participate in their first college course. This creates a pathway for academic success for urban youth, and a pathway to outdoor education/internship/career opportunities with the relationship with YMCA /Three Riverst employees. Strategic Student Success is intentionally incorporated into all aspects of the program, including program design, implementation and design, varied learning assignments to meet different learning styles and needs, intentional leadership opportunities, hands-on learning experiences MeasurableAll Students completed the immersion program and related course assignments and received grade a-c. Students co-created a documentary of their experience in the program. Realistic Students attended meetings and completed coursework and assignments. Students were exposed to academic pathways.Time-Bound Planning team met monthly to ensure smooth programming and budget. These meetings have been taking place since April of 2021. Inclusive The program centers on Belonging; that nature and outdoor spaces belong to everyone, versus BIPOC communities being included into predominantly white-held spaces, such as traditional YMCA camps. Equitable Students learn about internships and career pathways in YMCA, Three Rivers and other outdoor organizations that are aimed and removing the equity and access gaps for BIPOC communities to participate in outdoor parks, places and spaces.