docto detailed descriptions of the five conference strands
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to detailed descriptions of the five conference strands
8:30AM – 5:00PM MARCH 20 (SNOWDATE MARCH 21) CHEWONKI, WISCASSET, MAINE Register online: http://www.meeassociation.org/registration.html Deadline: March 16 Join leaders and practitioners from education, communities and businesses. We all share the goal of enhancing the relationships among people, nature, and communities. Whether you are in education, land conservation, outdoor recreation, youth development, outdoor education, environmental justice, resilient communities, community food security, or another community sector, coming together deepens the impact of all our work. Following up on last fall’s Better Together Summit, the conference features five strands: o Healthy Communities: Connecting People and Nature o Climate Change: Communities Taking Their Knowledge to Action o Protecting Our Natural Resources o Bringing Formal and Non-formal Educators Together o Empowering Maine’s Next Generation of Nature Leaders In three sessions in succession, every strand will o Share case studies and success stories from a diverse group of leaders and practitioners (10:10am-11:40am) o Explore the essential skills and resources needed to improve our practice (1:20pm2:50pm) o Chart our paths to collaborative action (3:00pm-4:00pm) CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS 8:15 Registration, morning treats, networking, and exhibits begin 9:00 Welcome, overview, introducing the Five Strands 10:10 Session A: Models, Case Studies, Success Stories (90 minutes) 11:45 Lunch, MEEA Awards 1:20 Session B: Skill Builders (90 minutes) 3:00 Session C: Collaborative Action Planning 4:00 Threading the Strands Together 5:00 Depart Presenters, organizations, partnerships and programs sharing models and studies include: Aaron Megquir, Friends of Baxter State Park Adrian Ayson, MEEA, NEEEA Anna Marie Klein Christie, Ripple Effect George Conant, South Portland Middle School Carl Costanzi, Maine Outdoor Coalition Carly Segal, Chewonki Carol Leone, Teens to Trail Cultivating Communities Elissa Koskela, Signs of the Season Eric Topper, Maine Audubon Society Erica Beck Spencer, Full Option Science System Gayle Bodge, Gulf of Maine Research Institute Jenny Galasso, PowerHouse Jessica Decke, UMaine-4-H Tanglewood Camp Kaitlyn Bernard, Appalachian Mountain Club Karen Arno Maine Audubon Society Karen Marysdaughter, 350.org Maine Lake Smart Lebanon and Hanson Schools Linda Woodard, Maine Audubon Society Lisa Packard, Chewonki Maine Forest Service Matt Dubell, Cathance River Education Alliance Meg Edstrom Jones, Ecology School Melissa Prescott, Telstar Freshman Academy Mish Morgenstern, Happier Outside Molly Auclair, Gulf of Maine Research Institute The Nature Conservancy Olivia Griset, MEEA Outdoor Rx, AMC Pat Carson, Western Foothill Landtrust Pat Maloney, Project Learning Tree Paige Steele, Friends of Acadia Robert Taylor, Project Learning Tree Ruth Kermish-Allen, Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance Ryan Le Shane, UMaine/4-H Blueberry Cove Ryder Scott, UMaine-4-H Camps and Learning Centers Sandy Sherry, Hall Elementary School Sheila Sullivan, School Ground Greening Coalition Sue Kistenmacher, Project Learning Tree Tamara Whitmore, Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed Wynne Wirth, Reiche Elementary School STRAND DESCRIPTIONS Empowering Maine’s Next Generation of Nature Leaders How can collaborative action help us empower Maine’s next generation nature leaders? Imagine a Maine where: every child has opportunities to experience nature; children are empowered to transform their natural experiences into action our youth know how to think critically about complex natural issues youth are supported in creating the change they want to see in their own communities Let’s empower Maine youth to advance from nature engagement to community action. In our first session, meet a panel of outstanding Maine youth leaders who will share their perspectives on making the transformation from engagement to action in their schools and communities. These leaders will give us their insight into the support systems that assisted them in their development to leadership. Joining them are the mentors from the programs that have guided them into becoming leaders. In the skill-building session, we will look at researchbased strategies that educators tan use to assist students to create the change they want to see in their own communities. We will learn from case studies of exemplary Maine nature youth leadership programs. Participants will engage in a systems thinking process in which they will collaborate to create a mental model to envision how to better enable youth leadership development in their school or organization. We will conclude with a collaborative action session to identify and pursue next steps in developing Maine’s next-generation nature leaders. We will begin the process of creating a new state-wide network for supporting youth nature-based leadership development in Maine. Strand leader: Olivia Griset, MEEA Formal and Non-formal Educators Together: Teaching By The Village How can collaboration between non-formal providers and K-12 educators achieve the goal of environmentally engaged and informed students, educators and schools? Do you work in a non-formal organization and want to bring public school children to your venue? Or do you work in a classroom and want to get students outside to explore the great outdoors while also preparing your students for the state science tests? Let's come together to dig into this formal/non-formal education relationship to learn about the effective traits of longterm collaboration.. We have gathered a wide variety of partners to inspire and challenge us to do a better job of meeting each others' needs. The right collaboration can become a win-win for everyone involved and strengthen both a school's mission as well as make the non-formal venue a much more sustainable operation. Some of our panel presenters include an outdoor leadership education organization and their long-term relationship with a middle school in South Portland; a greening coalition and how they work with schools to green their schoolyards while also supporting educators. During the skill-building section we will dig deeper into what it means to foster a successful collaboration. We will explore the commonalities between the collaborations of the panel as well as look at the obstacles and how to overcome them. All who participate will leave with new ideas about how to improve these partnerships and how to ultimately impact as many children's lives as possible. We will look at how a successful long-term collaboration is creating a school culture of engagement and ecological awareness among students, teachers and families. In all these examples, we will get to ask, what are the details of the partnership? How often do students get to participate in activities with the non-formal organization? How did the partnership start? How has the partnership grown over the years? Strand leader: Erica Beck Spencer, Full Option Science Systems Climate Change: Communities Taking Their Knowledge to Action What if climate change education was no longer about the obvious – drive less, recycle more, buy local – but instead focused on creating innovative solutions to mitigate impacts and adapt to changing ecosystems? Join us as we explore some exemplars of climate change education programs: place-based, deeply rooted in science, and focus on empowering action. Engage in the climate issues you are most passionate about through a design process to create innovative, personalized action plans for change. Collaborate with your peers to reflect and develop ideas to incorporate into your new approach to climate change education. Among the climate change focused programs we will look at are: Project Learning Tree, Signs of the Season, PowerHouse (GMRI), and 350.org Maine. The skill builders session will feature a “Knowledge to Action” exercise combining best practices from systems thinking, design processes, and community based social marketing – to foster positive behaviors. Strand leader: Gayle Bodge, Gulf of Maine Research Institute Healthy Communities: Connecting People and Nature What if we joined forces with those working for public health and community well-being, in order to nurture healthy communities for all? Envision a Maine where healthy human communities are sustained by healthy natural communities; where we recognize that the health of both are connected; where our decision making-- in households and workplaces and communities -- is guided by that awareness. Imagine environmental education helping communities to navigate the way to health and wellness. We will highlight examples of successful partnerships across sectors including conservation, health, recreation, tourism, education and more. These models will frame our discussion around identifying and working with new partners to develop innovative strategies for instilling awareness that leads to action. Among the programs and organizations we will be featuring are Outdoor Rx from AM, Cultivating Communities, Western Foothill Landtrust and the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend. In the skill builders session we will be trying out and inventing some resources and tools that challenge us, when we develop programs, to consider all aspects of what makes a healthy, sustainable community. Strand leaders: Matt Dubel, Cathance River Education Alliance and Linda Woodard, Maine Audubon Society Protecting Our Natural Resources How do we best motivate people to engage in positive environmental behaviors? Maine has many organizations whose mission is to protect our valuable natural resources: land trusts, water protection groups, wildlife organizations, soil and water conservation districts and those that serve to protect our natural resource ecosystems as a whole. Join us as we explore the factors that influence positive conservation actions. We will weigh strategies to influence adult actions today while maintaining our long-term investment of building environmental literacy in future generations. Among the case studies we will be featuring are three significant programs and agencies: LakeSmart, Maine and The Nature Conservancy. The skill builders session will sample some proven strategies that promote positive environmental practices and behaviors at the community level. Strand leader: Tamara Whitmore, Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed Register online: http://www.meeassociation.org/registration.html $80 registration through March 16. Registration includes all conference activities, lunch and refreshments Inquiries? Email [email protected]
