Newsletter from Thursday, July 6, 2020
Dear NCH2 Community,
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This newsletter highlights two important upcoming events as well as some research of interest and some fun for the family.
Upcoming Events: Virtual Coffee & Discussion Thursday, July 23rd 9:30 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. CDT Topic: Creative Programming in the Midst of the Pandemic; Virtual and Beyond Register here |
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Every organization has had to rethink their programs and how they can be delivered when there are stringent limits on face-to-face gatherings.
During this NCH2 Coffee and Discussion, three innovative programs will be introduced followed by breakout discussions.
Program 1: Mighty Acorns: Bringing Nature into the Classroom – Carolyn Wagner, Mighty Acorns Program Coordinator at the Conservation Foundation. Mighty Acorns puts into practice what students in grades 3-5 learn in the classroom to the outdoors; however, this year the students were not able to meet in the parks and preserves. Carolyn and her staff brought the outdoors inside through virtual educational programs. Carolyn will provide an overview of the program and how they made a virtual educational video for teachers.
Program 2: Farm Camp Shifts from Children to Family Focus – Amy Phillips, Youth Program Manager at the Conservation Foundation. Like most organizations this spring, children’s outdoor educational program had to be retooled in order to continue this summer. Even though we can’t hold our June summer camps as planned, getting kids outside and connected to nature is a core part of our mission, and something we strongly believe will help ground our young ones during this unsettling time. In an effort to provide families with a little Nature Rx, we’re offering Family Adventures. Amy will talk about how they provided timed programs for families to visit and do programs at the farm together.
Program 3: Stepping Away from the Screen or Beyond Virtual – Adam Kessel, Program Coordinator, Forest Preserve District of Cook County. The Forest Preserves of Cook County has successfully used typical virtual programs mostly through FaceBook Live and FaceBook posts to connect our guests with nature or nature activities during the pandemic. We’ve also tried or will be trying some different models that use low tech or no tech tools/resources to provide “programs” for a variety of audiences. Adam Kessel, Program Coordinator for our South Zone team will talk about several of these projects that include “I Have Nature Kits”; Beaubien Celebration@Home and our focus for our Youth Outdoor Ambassadors to complete Nature@Home projects or exploring nature spaces in their communities as part of their summer work.
C&D Hopeful Take-aways:
• What is needed (infrastructure, technology, logistics) to reinvent programs for current parameters?
• Can new program delivery models increase equitable access?
• What is an organization’s role/goal in getting people outside?
During this NCH2 Coffee and Discussion, three innovative programs will be introduced followed by breakout discussions.
Program 1: Mighty Acorns: Bringing Nature into the Classroom – Carolyn Wagner, Mighty Acorns Program Coordinator at the Conservation Foundation. Mighty Acorns puts into practice what students in grades 3-5 learn in the classroom to the outdoors; however, this year the students were not able to meet in the parks and preserves. Carolyn and her staff brought the outdoors inside through virtual educational programs. Carolyn will provide an overview of the program and how they made a virtual educational video for teachers.
Program 2: Farm Camp Shifts from Children to Family Focus – Amy Phillips, Youth Program Manager at the Conservation Foundation. Like most organizations this spring, children’s outdoor educational program had to be retooled in order to continue this summer. Even though we can’t hold our June summer camps as planned, getting kids outside and connected to nature is a core part of our mission, and something we strongly believe will help ground our young ones during this unsettling time. In an effort to provide families with a little Nature Rx, we’re offering Family Adventures. Amy will talk about how they provided timed programs for families to visit and do programs at the farm together.
Program 3: Stepping Away from the Screen or Beyond Virtual – Adam Kessel, Program Coordinator, Forest Preserve District of Cook County. The Forest Preserves of Cook County has successfully used typical virtual programs mostly through FaceBook Live and FaceBook posts to connect our guests with nature or nature activities during the pandemic. We’ve also tried or will be trying some different models that use low tech or no tech tools/resources to provide “programs” for a variety of audiences. Adam Kessel, Program Coordinator for our South Zone team will talk about several of these projects that include “I Have Nature Kits”; Beaubien Celebration@Home and our focus for our Youth Outdoor Ambassadors to complete Nature@Home projects or exploring nature spaces in their communities as part of their summer work.
C&D Hopeful Take-aways:
• What is needed (infrastructure, technology, logistics) to reinvent programs for current parameters?
• Can new program delivery models increase equitable access?
• What is an organization’s role/goal in getting people outside?
SHIFT Health and Nature Webinar Series: Special Episode
Tuesday, July 7th, 2020
11:00 A.M. CDT (10:00 A.M. Mountain Time)
Topic: Engage, Connect, Protect: Conservation, COVID-19, and the New Civil Rights Movement
While concern about the state of our land, air, and water continues to grow, there is widespread belief that environmental issues are primarily of interest to wealthy white communities. The new book Engage, Connect, Protect, by Greening Youth Foundation Founder and CEO Angelou Ezeilo, explodes this myth, revealing the deep and abiding interest that African American, Latino, and Native American communities – many of whom live in degraded and polluted parts of the country – have in our collective environment. With this episode, Ezeilo is joined by GYF Project Manager Shatiba A. Bradley and SHIFT Board Member Mickey Fearn in a discussion about how conservation intersects with the damage wrought by centuries of institutional racism and highlighted by COVID-19 and the New Civil Rights Movement.
Tuesday, July 7th, 2020
11:00 A.M. CDT (10:00 A.M. Mountain Time)
Topic: Engage, Connect, Protect: Conservation, COVID-19, and the New Civil Rights Movement
While concern about the state of our land, air, and water continues to grow, there is widespread belief that environmental issues are primarily of interest to wealthy white communities. The new book Engage, Connect, Protect, by Greening Youth Foundation Founder and CEO Angelou Ezeilo, explodes this myth, revealing the deep and abiding interest that African American, Latino, and Native American communities – many of whom live in degraded and polluted parts of the country – have in our collective environment. With this episode, Ezeilo is joined by GYF Project Manager Shatiba A. Bradley and SHIFT Board Member Mickey Fearn in a discussion about how conservation intersects with the damage wrought by centuries of institutional racism and highlighted by COVID-19 and the New Civil Rights Movement.
Overview of SHIFT Webinar Series
SHIFT’s Health and Nature Webinar Series brings together innovators, opinion-leaders and researchers at the forefront of the health-and-nature movement to help advance our understanding of the public health benefits of time spent outside. Through brief webinar presentations, subject-matter experts share their perspectives and needs regarding investments in nature as a health-care intervention strategy. Overall, the series aims to stimulate cross-sectoral learning, contribute to the transdisciplinary advancement of the field, and promote broader mainstream adoption of the health benefits of contact with the natural world. The first chapter of the series defines the overarching scope of the Health & Nature space. The subsequent four chapters provide deeper exploration of the topic from the perspective of SHIFT’s stakeholder communities in Public Health, Land Management, Outdoor Recreation, and Conservation.
The webinars are held on select Tuesdays of each month from 10:00 – 11:00 AM MT.
SHIFT’s Health and Nature Webinar Series brings together innovators, opinion-leaders and researchers at the forefront of the health-and-nature movement to help advance our understanding of the public health benefits of time spent outside. Through brief webinar presentations, subject-matter experts share their perspectives and needs regarding investments in nature as a health-care intervention strategy. Overall, the series aims to stimulate cross-sectoral learning, contribute to the transdisciplinary advancement of the field, and promote broader mainstream adoption of the health benefits of contact with the natural world. The first chapter of the series defines the overarching scope of the Health & Nature space. The subsequent four chapters provide deeper exploration of the topic from the perspective of SHIFT’s stakeholder communities in Public Health, Land Management, Outdoor Recreation, and Conservation.
The webinars are held on select Tuesdays of each month from 10:00 – 11:00 AM MT.
A piping plover on Montrose Beach. Photo taken from the Chicago Tribune Article with caption: Two piping plover chicks, left, rush to an adult piping plover as a heavy rain comes down at a Montrose beach in Chicago, June 24, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune).
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Nature Engagement & Family Fun
Help name Monty and Rose’s chicks! For the second year, a pair of piping plovers (Monty and Rose) nested and raised chicks at Chicago’s Montrose beach! Three chicks hatched and are currently growing -they were recently banded & need to be named before they leave on their southern migration! The Piping Plover Recovery Team wants to ensure a diversity of naming options. Fill out the Piping Plover Naming Forms (in English and Spanish). The naming process will be open until end-of-day July 8. Form in English: https://forms.gle/dysZBDG8CPvL9hcj6 in Spanish: https://forms.gle/KVyg7im9aDA4mgVY8 Read more about the piping plovers on Montrose Beach here! |
Paper of the Month:
Sabgir, D. and J. Dorn (2020). "Walk with a Doc-a Call to Action for Physician-Led Walking Programs." Current cardiology reports 22(7): 44-44. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32561999
Overview: Written by the founder of “Walk with a Doc” (David Sabgir, MD) and a professor of Community Health and Social Medicine (Joan Dorn, PhD), this article reviews the evidence and need for physicians to prescribe physical activity, particularly time outdoors, to their patients. And for physicians to use this “medicine” themselves to help address the epidemic of burnout in the healthcare professions. The article describes the role that Walk with a Doc plays in organizing physician-led walks in communities.
Happy Reading!
Sabgir, D. and J. Dorn (2020). "Walk with a Doc-a Call to Action for Physician-Led Walking Programs." Current cardiology reports 22(7): 44-44. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32561999
Overview: Written by the founder of “Walk with a Doc” (David Sabgir, MD) and a professor of Community Health and Social Medicine (Joan Dorn, PhD), this article reviews the evidence and need for physicians to prescribe physical activity, particularly time outdoors, to their patients. And for physicians to use this “medicine” themselves to help address the epidemic of burnout in the healthcare professions. The article describes the role that Walk with a Doc plays in organizing physician-led walks in communities.
Happy Reading!