Nature/Nurture to provide students with environmental education, community involvement, and the awareness that nature can provide tools to cope with anxiety, depression and overall mental health. “This program uses nature to create avenues for solace, problem solving and relief for teens facing today’s challenging and stressful society.”
According to Andrea Foster, “Nature is something that these students typically may not have connected to during their lives. By giving them the chance to learn about our environment, the non-profit world, and to connect with their community through service; we are providing life skills, job skills and coping mechanisms to help young people make better choices. They feel respected and cared for, in an atmosphere of no-judgement.”
Program Content
In-school lessons are provided every other week or as-desired by the school. Lessons focus on environmental education, climate change, non-profit engagement, service project building and promoting overall wellness by connecting to nature. The students complete the program with a capstone service project of their own. Developed with guidance from Chippewa Nature Center, The ROCK Center for Youth Development, and data support from The Legacy Center for Community Success, Little Forks has made the program adaptable to individual school needs.
Students can help decide their level of involvement during the second phase of the program, when service project planning and implementation takes place. Students choose their own service project, and with guidance from Foster, develop a plan and process to execute the project. Student input provides a flexible design that teaches them to have passion for the work they choose to do.
Students then execute the service project and give feedback afterwards. There may be a small amount of funding available to do this based on grants that have been received.
Depending on the school’s grounds and ability to transport students, Staff will also work to get participants outdoors as much as possible through the program’s duration. As weather and opportunity allows, the units listed below may be interspersed with more than one guided hike, trail cleanup, and/or snowshoeing adventure.
Students can help decide their level of involvement during the second phase of the program, when service project planning and implementation takes place. Students choose their own service project, and with guidance from Foster, develop a plan and process to execute the project. Student input provides a flexible design that teaches them to have passion for the work they choose to do.
Students then execute the service project and give feedback afterwards. There may be a small amount of funding available to do this based on grants that have been received.
Depending on the school’s grounds and ability to transport students, Staff will also work to get participants outdoors as much as possible through the program’s duration. As weather and opportunity allows, the units listed below may be interspersed with more than one guided hike, trail cleanup, and/or snowshoeing adventure.
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Student Support
"Before I joined the program, I was very stressed out, in part because my best friend was graduating and I had a lot of anxiety. Doing something like walking in the woods, I didn't know it could be helpful in relieving negative thoughts and stress. So, it brought a lot of good things into my life and replaced or helped me deal with bad things."
- Haley
"I’ve been more open-minded. It has actually expanded my horizons a lot more and its made life really great, so this was really worth it for me. These are memories I’m never going to forget, being able to work with this organization – along with friends – people I’m actually comfortable with."
- Pastian
Community Support
Community support has been key to growing the Little Forks' Nature/Nurture program. Shortly after Nature/Nurture began, a grant of $10,000 was awarded from the Midland County Youth Action Council of the Midland Community Foundation. The grant funds were used to purchase snowshoes, binoculars and compasses for students to use on hikes and outside field trips along with dollars to support two years of student service projects for each participating school.
In addition, ACE Hardware of Midland donated 60 backpacks filled with hiking essentials for each student participating in the program. The Gerstacker Foundation has also awarded $5,000 to the program. In addition to local business and foundation support, many individuals in both the community and throughout the nation have made personal donations after seeing news publications and local support for the program.
Additional and fundamental support has been given by local community members of used outdoor winter gear. This has helped the Nature/Nurture program to provide students the warmth they need to experience nature during ALL of Michigan's beautiful seasons.
In addition, ACE Hardware of Midland donated 60 backpacks filled with hiking essentials for each student participating in the program. The Gerstacker Foundation has also awarded $5,000 to the program. In addition to local business and foundation support, many individuals in both the community and throughout the nation have made personal donations after seeing news publications and local support for the program.
Additional and fundamental support has been given by local community members of used outdoor winter gear. This has helped the Nature/Nurture program to provide students the warmth they need to experience nature during ALL of Michigan's beautiful seasons.
