The Earth needs our young people

"Young people can be the most effective leaders in the children and nature movement."

- Richard Louv

In his latest post, Young Leaders Rising, Richard Louv (Field Notes from the Future) writes about young people becoming leaders in the children and nature movement. I have written before about the challenges of finding new environmental leaders (Who are going to be our environmental leaders of tomorrow?), especially in an era where young people are preoccupied with cellphones, screens and mp3 players. But there are PICC teens out there (Teenagers who rock!). Although not in droves just yet, they are on the increase.

The upcoming generation of teens and young adults is often called "entitled" and "self-centered," but not particularly self-directed, loyal or ethical. However, on the other hand, they are, tech-savvy, nimble, enthusiastic and achievement-oriented. Young people are energetic and talented. They are ambitious, bright and eager to learn. And with the right attitudes they could just be the people our Earth needs. Adept at social networking, they bring innovative communication styles and potential new tools to the cause. Tools they can use to network with each other, across borders, and to support and encourage other young people to become leaders in the children and nature movement.

Louv, in his post, discusses the need for a career focus related to connecting peope to nature. While you can learn certain traits, connecting comes from within the person and personal experiences are essential. We, as parents and teachers, play a crucial role here by giving our children the opportunity to free and unstructured experiences in natural settings. Plant the seed when they are young, and engage them when they are teens.

Children & Nature Network, with founding support from the Sierra Club: Building Bridges to the Outdoors and corporate support from The North Face has launched the Natural Leaders Network, to engage a new generation of "Natural leaders" - teenagers, college students and other young people. In New Zealand the Enviroschools Foundation aims to nurture a generation of innovative and motivated young people, who instinctively think and act sustainably.

Around the globe, the Earth needs our young people.

- Anja

photo source: © AMWGLN

Earth Hour 2009

A crispy, clear night, full of stars, created a beautiful night to participate in Earth Hour 2009. With 17 teenagers, guitars, pizza's, marshmallows and a campfire, the darkness brought us solace, rather then discomfort. It gave us time to talk, sing and listen to each other, casting our "vote to the earth".

Spending time together, raising awareness, sharing thoughts, reflections and ideas about global warning with these teens, who are usually taken up with cellphones and Ipods, was the real winner of Earth Hour. Listen to what teens, and a seven year old, have to say about our beautiful planet Earth in this Youtube video.

Grateful

"They will be here shortly". No word can describe the feeling I had when the officer from the police search and rescue team said these words to me at 3 am in the early morning of last Monday 16th March. My husband and I had been waiting for 5 hours in the darkness, at the entrance of the Akatarawa bush, famous for its many wilderness tracks. Camiel, my 14 year old son, his 21 year old cousin and their friend had been in the bush since noon, with the intention to make a leisure two hour mountain bike roundtrip. When they hadn't returned by 7pm, and cellphone calls where left unanswered, we dialed 111 (New Zealand's emergency number) and started a search mission. A search and rescue team entered the bush at 11 pm on Sunday night.

Here is Camiel's story:

We went mountain biking in the Akatarawa Forest at noon. We were expecting a 2-3 hour trip but we went on the wrong track, which we didn't realize until about 3:30pm. We biked along and the first hour was flat and easy. We came across a hill and it just kept going up. Suddenly the hill dropped steeply and it was very rocky. About 10 minutes after that we began to want to go back but we didn't want to because of the big hill we just came down so we continued and decided we'd take the turn off to Queen Elizabeth park. It went up again and it started getting darker.

At about 3:30pm we reached the top of the second hill. There was a clearing here and we stopped and rested, this was when we realized we were on the wrong track. Queen Elizabeth park didn't look too far away from here so we continued down the track. An hour later we reached another clearing and there was a sign that said 'Rock Garden'. We were shocked, we thought we were almost there but the Rock garden was about 5 hours away.

We thought we could still make it to Queen Elizabeth so we continued down the track. At the bottom of the Rock Garden there was a river that wasn't on the map and the track split up into many different tracks. We followed the widest track, as this track was for 4WD and motorbikes. We found many footprints in the mud and 100 Meters from there the track disappeared. We knew we couldn't continue so we decided to go all the way back to the car, because then we would know where we were on the right track. So we turned around and began the long journey back.

At 6:30 pm we reached the river and at 7:45 pm we reached the top of the Rock garden. I knew we wouldn't be able to get to the car from here but I was unable to convince the others that we had to sleep here. We managed to get 1 or 2 bars of cellphone coverage but none of our countless calls and texts went through. I saw a shooting star here and I wished that we'd be rescued. We decided we'd go back to the first clearing and decide what we'd do from there. We left the Rock garden at 8pm.

It started getting very dark. It got too dark to ride our bikes so we had to walk with them. We considered ditching them but we knew that we'd need them on the 2 hills going down, so we kept them. By 9pm visibility was extremely low, we could barely see 2 meters in front of us in the forest parts and we communicated and used sound to make sure everyone was near. It began to get very cold, my fingers went numb and I began shivering. We walked up and up and up. We sung songs and talked about what we're gonna do. By the time we reached the clearing at 10pm we knew that we couldn't continue. We decided to sleep at the clearing for the night and continue back to the car in the morning.

Luckily we had a lighter with us and I had 2 paper planes. We gathered gorse, sticks, leaves and ferns and set up a little campfire. It took half an hour for the fire to get going. We burned anything that could burn and eventually managed to get huge, fat sticks to spring alight. We sat and waited. At this time I had no food or drink except for my coke which I was saving for the morning and the others had 6 biscuits, a tuna sandwich, a muesli bar and half a bottle of water. We ate 3 biscuits and saved the rest for the morning. Every 45-60 minutes we'd have to go and gather more wood.

It was a clear and beautiful night. We saved some gorse to use as a pillow and we kept our helmets on to keep our heads warm. The fire kept us nice and warm. Just before midnight I decided I'd go to sleep. So I lay down and waited for sleep to hit me. I played with the fire, throwing little bits of grass and gorse in and watching it flare up. My cousin went to collect some more wood for the fire and a few seconds after that we heard the roaring of an engine, 10 seconds later a quad bike came around the corner with the huge floodlights blinding us. On the quad was the park ranger and a policeman. The policeman gave me a huge coat to keep me warm and the park ranger left to get the 4WD and radio the other searchers and my parents. The policeman stayed with us and explained to us what they were going to do now; "He's going back to the 4WD which is about 20 minutes from here, there's a radio in the 4WD. From there he's going to radio the other searchers to tell them to stop searching, he'll also call your parents to tell them you're safe, the radio doubles as a special cellphone. He'll then come back with the 4WD and a trailer for your bikes and we'll take you out of the bush."

We talked and shared stories with the policeman. I saw another shooting star and wish for some more food. At 2am the Park ranger came back with the other searchers and the 4WD and explained why they had taken so long. The track was a loop track so they had sent one search group one way around the track and the other our way. The other group where all the way up near Queen Elizabeth and they had to go all they back to where the park Ranger was and that took ages. From there they came back and picked us up. They drove us all the way back to about half an hour from the beginning in 15 minutes. There were blocks here so they had to take an old logging route to get back. It took another 20 minutes to get to civilization but we got some very nice views of the valley and Wellington. They then took us to the carpark where our car was and where mum and dad had been waiting for 5 hours. We arrived there at 3am. We were very relieved and grateful. We went home, via MacDonald's. Both my shooting star wishes came true! We got home at 4am and I told mum that I have to get up in 2 and a half hours to get ready for school and she said "No, you're not going to school".

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I am GRATEFUL. For the safety of the children, yes. For the efforts of the search and rescue team who spend a whole night in the bush, searching for our children, yes. But I am also grateful for the moments I have spend with my son in the big natural outdoors. From the moment they could "sit" in a front or back pack we have taken our children on bushwalks and camping trips. Talking to my son about his experience in the wilderness bush, he doesn't show any signs of fear for the natural surroundings he was in. Indeed, that seemed the least of his concern. He was more worried about his parents not knowing they were uninjured and okay, then spending a night in the bush. He was cold, tired and hungry, but he didn't panic. He found strength in the shooting stars, thanks to the many nights of stargazing we share so often late at night at our home.

Feeding a young child's biophilia, a love for nature, is indispensable. Children who grow up with nature as part of their world, will at all times feel connected with that world. They will find strength and courage in difficult situations as their connection with nature will bring added elements that will help them succeed.

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."

- Rachel Carson

Awesome Teens #1

From time to time I meet some pretty awesome teens who are making a positive impact on the environmental status of our planet or who are still in touch with nature and its beauty. Teens with Passion, Innovation, Creativity and Compassion, or as I call them, PICC Teens. I hope that sharing their positive attitude will inspire others...

Meet the first Awesome Teens: Brittany and Femke.

Brittany and Femke are two Wellingtonian teenagers, sixteen and seventeen years old. They spend part of their summer holidays studying global warming and are setting up an enviro-club at their school. Their goal is to make their school an award winning Enviroschool. As part of their enviro-club work they have written and created a powerful informative slideshow about global warming, a report for school council and a handbook for club members to help and guide them into being a more environmentally friendly citizen of the earth.

Brittany and Femke are launching their enviro-club this month with a video they created. You can watch their video "Wake up America, CSJ Enviroclub Promotion Music Video" on YouTube.

The two girls hope that members of the enviro-club will influence their friends and classmates to become a more caring citizen of the earth. Their message: The earth is our home, therefore we should respect it, and teach others to protect it.

They believe that their school's students need to understand and take responsibility for the beauty of the land and health of our ecosystems. They are on a mission to make their school a bronze member of the Enviroschools programme by the end of this year.

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Eyesonnature asks ...

You girls gave up several beautiful summer days to research global warming, what triggered that?
Brittany: We are very passionate about it. We thought about it last year. As year 13 we want to do something that we can give back to the school and the community and that is interactive with the students.
Femke: We actually got really annoyed how people leave on the lights at the school, which triggered the thought to create an enviro-club.

You spend several days researching global warming, what are some of the most concerning issues you discovered?
Femke: That the earth temperature has risen by 0.74 c in the last century. And about 4 million sq km arctic ice have already melted.
Brittany: 2005 was the hottest year on record. Lots of animals are becoming extinct as their habitats are being effected by global warming.

How did your friends react when you told them about your enviro plans?
Brittany: They thought it was cool and wondered why they didn't think of it.
Femke: Their enthusiasm shows they will support us.

Why do you think your school needs an enviro club?
Brittany: We need to get the ball rolling.
Femke: Chilton (Chilton Saint James School) talks about growing tall poppies, well we should really show them we can make a difference and we are able students.

What is Enviroschools?
Brittany: A collaborative programme run by the Enviroschools Foundation and it equips students with the knowledge of the effects of global warming and it helps schools become more environmentally friendly.

How do you think Enviroschools will benefit your school?
Femke: It gives us more publicity and we can get an award. The students will be better equipped with more environmentally friendly life skills.

Now you have the approval of the principal, what is your next step?
Femke: A meeting with school council followed with the official launch at school of the enviro-club, followed by first meeting.
Brittany: We want to attract members.

Brittany and Femke, good luck with the launch of your enviro-club.
Brittany & Femke: Thank you.

Awesome Teens

Teenagers get a lot of negative publicity. They have poor health due to a sedentary lifestyle, they bing-drink, they spend too much time watching tv and videos, and their entertainment consist of playing computer games and racing cars. Their goals seem to be no more then buying in to shallow materialism, if they have any goals at all.

As a parent of teenagers and in my work with young children and my study about reconnecting children with nature, I come across teenagers who do not fit the above picture. I meet and read about teenagers who have a creative, innovative outlook of the world. Young people who are passionate, driven and curious and who care about the dismal state of our planet. These young people influence me enormous and I'd like to share them with you.

I hope interviewing these young people will give you a different picture then the media often portraits. Their aspirations and drive can be an inspiration to others, just like they have been to me. Globally, these youngsters may only be a small pebble in a huge gravel pit, but over here, in this little corner downunder, these teens make it happen. And if I can aspire one other teenager to get involved in a worthwhile event then that is pretty awesome.

Awesome Teens are listed in the order of newest to oldest.

Awesome Teens #1 Brittany and Femke
Organisers Enviro-club 2009, CSJ

Teenagers who rock!

According to a recent Auckland University report on the health and emotional wellbeing of New Zealand's young people, the Youth07 study reports that today's teenagers are battling high rates of abuse and violence, bulging waistlines and bing-drinking habits, among other concerning habits.

Previously I wondered about teenagers and their connection with nature when I posed the question "Is my teenage daughter really out of touch with nature?". Last month, the Children and Nature Network website posted a similar question in an article about high school student's interactions with nature.

Reading the Youth07 report I look at the teenagers that have come into my life, as friends and accomplices of my teenage son and daughter, who are thirteen and sixteen years old. It is most likely you will know a teenager who sits in front of a screen for most of the day, is attached to a cell phone unconditionally and has plugs in their ears non-stop. And anybody who is parenting a teenager knows about the turbulence in emotions parenting a teenager may bring. New Zealand's parenting gurus Ian Grant and John Cowan wrote a brilliant book about parenting teenagers "The White Water Rafting Years". With two teenagers in our family, it does feel sometimes as if we are negotiating white-water rapids. However, if you have ever done white water rafting, or as in my case, white water kayaking (yes I kayaked the famous Petawawa River in Ontario), you will also know about the thrill you experience after you have safely negotiated the rapids. I'd like to share one of these thrills with you.

Just like many New Zealand teenagers, Femke and Brittanny, sixteen and seventeen years old, own a cellphone, an Ipod and other gadgets. They have readily access to computers and televisions. Throughout the year, the girls are bogged down with homework, internal testing and NCEA exams. Femke and Brittanny attend one of New Zealand's top private girl schools. A school with strong traditions, values, principles and high expectations. A school also where strong leadership is modeled and encouraged. However, the girls feel there is one crucial thing at the school missing. The school does not have an environmental group. So these summer holidays the girls took it upon themselves to examine the feasibility of an enviro club at their school.

While their friends went camping, or hung out at the beach or were watching movies, Brittanny and Femke retreated in their bedrooms and researched global warming, sustainable practices, Enviroschools membership and environmental education. They collated plenty of material and wrote a plan, created a slideshow and prepared a presentation speech for the principal. Back at school they went to see the principal, after having made an official appointment through her p.a.. There they presented their proposal to create an enviro club, and for their school to become an Enviroschool. Their report identifies and describes the "what, why, when and where " of an enviro club at their school.

The Youth07 report doesn't portray a very positive picture of our youth today. About a third of the teenagers admit to watching more than three hours television or spending at least three hours sending text messages each day. And only 4% are involved in volunteer communities like Greenpeace. Grant and Cowan write in "The White Water Rafting Years", "Today's teenagers have bought into shallow materialism to a far greater extent than earlier generations. Most of them define their future goals (if they have any) purely in material terms. They may not see the spiritual and emotional shallowness of this, but they do experience the "soul-rot" of it."

In our modern world, there seems to be a lack of connection between our teenagers fast living patterns and natures slow moving rhythms. Teens have much fewer opportunities nowadays to turn their attention to nature.
Having said that, environmental issues like global warming, poverty and over exploitation are issues teenagers are more aware and knowledgeable of today then we ever were. And not all teenagers turn to tv and videogames when faced with boredom.

Femke and Brittanny found a passion, caring for the environment and the future of the planet. They initiated their own actions and presented their ideas to the appropriate authority. Encouraging teenagers to identify and pursue their individual passions allows them to take charge of their own lives and hence emerge as natural leaders. The girls proposal for the school to become an Enviroschool, and to educate their fellow students about the effects of global warming, and what they can do to make a difference, has been positively received by the principal. Their proposal now awaits approval from the school council. Regardless of the outcome, approval or disapproval, to see young teenagers take initiative and leadership with passion, innovation, creativity and curiosity (the PICC attributes), brings hope to our future and a real thrill. You girls rock!