Funded by the National Park Foundation's Parks Climate Challenge, the program will provide nationally relevant and replicable training for teachers to develop hands-on service learning projects to better educate students on climate change and strengthen their connection to national parks.
Despite the enormous impacts of rapid climate change, a recent study found that many Americans do not understand its causes and only one in 10 believe they are "very well informed" on the issue. Meanwhile, 75 percent of Americans believe schools should teach children about climate change, and 68 percent would welcome a national education program on the issue.(1)Â To address this gap in climate change education, The Parks Climate Challenge program was successfully launched in 2009 by the National Park Foundation. Now in its third year, the program has expanded to four national parks in California, Minnesota, Tennessee and Washington State to immerse middle and high school educators in national parks while they learn strategies to educate students about climate change.
"The first step in addressing climate change is to provide a hands-on learning experience so students can fully understand its causes, effects and ways to prevent further damage to the environment," Susan Smartt, NatureBridge president and CEO. "By providing educators with the resources and training they need to demonstrate the impact and challenges associated with climate change, NatureBridge is helping to inspire more people — particularly the younger generation — to take responsible actions to sustain the environment." Read the full report here.
Source: PR Newswire, San Francisco.
