When we think of environmental education (EE), we might think of connecting youth to nature, increasing student academic achievement, and developing the next generation of environmental stewards. These are all excellent and proven benefits of EE. But EE that specifically empowers youth and adults towards environmental action in their community can also lead to direct environmental and community benefits.
Goal: I set out to assess collective environmental & community impact of conservation projects carried out by teen-adult volunteer partnerships participating in UConn’s Natural Resources Conservation Academy.
But first, what’s UConn’s Natural Resources Conservation Academy (NRCA)?
- NRCA comprises programs that provides place-based, environmental action programs for teens & adults
- Teen & adult volunteer teams formed
- Trained in conservation science & technology during field experience or workshop
- Teams identify & address a local conservation issue (projects tailored to individual circumstances & community need)
- Participants share projects at regional conferenceQuantifying impact: I assessed impact of 167 projects carried out by 308 teens and adults participating in two UConn NRCA programs (Conservation Ambassador Program and Conservation Training Partnerships).
- The challenge: develop a systematic protocol to quantify metrics from diverse conservation efforts
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