Only by connecting with young people can the Service ensure that a new generation of Americans will become connected with the nation’s great outdoors and grow into the land stewards of tomorrow. The Service must develop opportunities for young people to learn a land ethic and the principles and passion of resource stewardship. Programs like the Youth Conservation Corps have provided thousands of people with their first experience working for conservation. The Service and the Department of the Interior are working on a strategy to engage the next generation of conservationists.
Recommendation: The Refuge System will aggressively implement the plan to engage youth in a diverse array of work and volunteer programs.
Moreover, Refuge System engagement with scouting along with youth involvement in Refuge Friends groups, nature clubs and sporting groups can provide the encouragement and opportunity that will motive young people to join the conservation community. In that pursuit, technology has tremendous value to reach an increasingly plugged-in younger generation. The Service must continue to explore the applications of emerging technologies to engage our youth in wildlife conservation.
Comment below and/or move on to next section of Chapter 4 - School Partnerships and the Future of Environmental Education
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Super! Bring ‘em on!
1. You have a typo – “motive” should be “motivate”.
2. If I were king, I would charge a “screen tax” on electronic entertainment devices, services and software that are aimed at anyone under age 20. The money would be used to get kids outside.
3. I believe that “outdoor school” programs are quite effective at instilling an interest in nature and conservation. We should help make sure those continue to exist.
For the future of Refuges, this may be one of the most important parts of the Vision process.
Betsy Burch
Pres. Friends of Humboldt Bay NWR
I mentioned this in another section, I do not think we can fight Youth and their use of technology, we need to look at ways to incorporate that technology as a tool to teach our youth. There are ideas out there such as Teaching Thru nature, we need to figure out a way to teach conservation through technology. As I mentioned, looking at something like creating an App or on-line game that is played by having to get outdoors and explore the Natural world and learn about Conservation and Wildlife in order to answer questions or get charaters to proceed thru levels. Just ideas.
I cannot stress how important it is to get youth invovled! This might be the most important part of the Vision. One idea to reach youth is to look for volunteers at local schools or Universities. Both highschool and college have organizations looking for service projects, but most students are looking for gaining volunteer hours for their transcripts.
These volunteer opportunites, whether large scale or small, are a great time to give an intorduction on who the USFWS is and what refuges do. The biggest
I apologize for the previous post. It submitted when I hit enter to make a new paragraph, and I had not edited it!
I cannot stress how important it is to get youth involved! This might be the most important part of the Vision. One Idea to reach youth is to look for volunteers at local schools or Universities. Both high school and college have organizations looking for service projects, but most students are looking for gaining volunteer hours for their transcripts.
These volunteer opportunities, whether large scale or small, are a great time to give an introduction on who the USFWS is and what refuges do. The biggest problem I come across is that my peers have never heard of the USFWS. It might be a great opportunity to educate them.
This comment may not belong here, but it does not appear to belong anywhere else. Although the aging population is mentioned several times in other more general parts of the narrative, it does not appear to figure into any discussion. Aside from their demographic inevitability of the Boomers, seniors “belong” to a vision statement for several reasons. First, they are in many cases the backbone of the Friends organizations. Second, they bring a lifetime of experience, skills, and reflection to whatever they do. Third, they are the partners in intergenerational learning – able in unique ways to connect with youth, to speak to them, and to learn from them. Fourth, the “re-creational” experiences offered in the NWR System can address many of the unique challenges in aging, providing an environment that will stimulate and ease the mind, and engage the body.
I would suggest a whole set of recommendations related to senior Americans, such as: 1) Expand networking with senior groups and organizations to encourage visitation, consulting, and volunteering; 2) Develop intergenerational programs engaging seniors in youth initiatives and vice versa; 3) Encourage the use of the refuge by senior living facilities (including communities and nursing homes) and by senior programs, planning activities with attention to special interests and disabilities.