Nature Connection, Hope, and Action 

Nature Connection, Action and Hope Project Final Report
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 A collaboration between Growing Up Boulder (GUB), Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP), Classrooms for Climate Action (C4CA), and Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) Columbine Elementary School 4th graders, the Nature Connection, Hope, and Action project builds upon the successful integration of curriculum, outdoor learning and youth leadership/action (service learning + stewardship activities) learned from the Wood Brothers Project (2020).  It also operationalizes Professor Louise Chawla’s paper on childhood nature connection and constructive hope.

The Nature Connection, Hope, and Action project provides the opportunity to hear diverse youth voice in: 

1. Learning how youth want to take action/care for their local environment, 
2. Providing relevant communications and strategies to inspire hope in a changing climate (both educating and hearing from students),
3. Creating a meaningful connection to the community beyond the school classroom (for example, by participating in the Right Here, Right Now Climate Summit at CU from Dec 1-4). 

The 4th grade BVSD Science, Social Studies, and Health classes integrated the CO Landscapes Unit, which the OSMP Education team co-created with BVSD educators last summer, to provide the curricular connection for this participatory engagement and act as a model for BVSD curriculum and OSMP educational services. The opportunity to work with GUB and BVSD this fall will deepen this community project and provide valuable information for this replicable model to continue into the spring and following years. 

C4CA Curriculm Model