November 2019 C&D Minutes
Topic: We've Learned a Lot, Now What Do We Do?
Location: Indian Boundary Prairies, Markham, IL
SUMMARY:
Action Items:
Location: Indian Boundary Prairies, Markham, IL
SUMMARY:
Action Items:
- Barb looking for new locations for these meetings! Reach out to her if you're willing to host
- Contact: [email protected]
- Terry has an undergrad creating a website, but we need photos of people in nature!
- Please send photos to [email protected]
- Founded in 1967, The Nature Conservancy helped with first acquisition, now owned by North Eastern University, site was known by people but NEU spearheaded movement to save it alongside Markham Garden Club
- 470 acres total of high-quality native prairie
- Highly fragmented, "archipelago of remnants", creates challenges for land management, biodiversity conservation but it is a unique, excellent opportunity to expose local folks to nature
- Terry spoke to the importance of community engagement w/ conservation
- Debra Williams spoke about her role in community engagement w/ IBP
- She found that local people didn't know what she was talking about when she said “Indian Boundary Prairies”, connection has not been great historically
- Focus on building a bridge, creating respect, knowledge, and trust
- Prairies not just in the city of Markham, but a part of the city
- How to navigate that to work in unison to impact Markham as a whole
- Events alone are not enough
- If there is no connection/relationship/reason/understanding/interest, an event will never build a relationship between the community and the land
- Debra spoke on the importance of a black woman being the face for prairies in the Markham community
- Most people who do work on these prairies have been white
- Importance of the face of the messenger, someone coming to share and genuinely connect as people first, not just asking questions about the prairies (or asking people to give money or do something)
- IBP has hosted school groups, the city council, and other youth programs, as well as creating community events
- “Awe of Nature Festival”
- Debra emphasized the importance of connecting to the community by creating relationships & opportunities to meet, greet, and get out in nature
- Have to use the things that people respond to -- and we don't always know what that is until we start asking
- About a year ago, we had our 3rd Nature Culture and Human Health symposium at CBG with the focus of "Nature: Stress' Antidote"
- People were so enthusiastic about bringing public health, conservation, and community together, we created the coffee hour series
- Most people who are engaged in conservation work are white women over the age of 55, we want to broaden this participation and preach the message beyond the choir
- Also want to help communities that have experienced trauma mindfully, respectfully, and in a collaborative fashion
- Sub-committees
- Created a sub-committee (Education Standards Working Group) to look at state curriculum standards and find ways to incorporate nature into different curriculum components
- Another group (Illinois Nature Rx Working Group) focused on partnering with Park Rx America , building out necessary infrastructure to help prescribers write nature prescriptions
- There are a lot of moving pieces to try and make these things happen
- Without continued engagement and investment from members, we cannot move forward
- We are now at a point to start thinking about planning the 2020 symposium for NCH2
- As it stands now, NCH2 is a listserv run by Terry and coffee hours organized by Barb
- How do we move forward on our various sub-committees, our larger goals, and how do we make that happen?
- How should we handle funding?
- We don't currently have any funding, should we create a non-profit organization?
- Or should we seek a more formal “base” through an institution like Northwestern University or one of our other partner organizations?
- We are poised to expand
- There is a growing amount of evidence and models that we can present to healthcare providers about the importance of introducing nature into healthcare
- Nature as healthcare is really about to blow up nationally, perfect timing to take the energy and power of NCH2 and move it forward
- What have been the biggest challenges people have perceived so far?
- Every other month we have a meeting, but there is a lack of resources & leadership
- We're preaching to the choir
- How do we go beyond this?
- Resources to fund programs could be useful, but require funding and time
- Research studies could be helpful
- Community connection and relationships are needed
- We can go out with our intentions, we have the theory, but can we turn it into practice?
- We don't know how to invite different people to engage
- Where do we start? If people don't have the skillset to reach out and engage in an inviting, trust-building way, we are going to face challenges
- Just because we want to doesn't mean we have the tools
- What are we going to do differently with this information with how we go about our work?
- We know that the issues we want to address exist outside the power of those we want to reach
- Need to educate ourselves on these issues and become aware of the barriers people are facing that keep our responses/interest from communities so low
- We know that the issues we want to address exist outside the power of those we want to reach
- Sometimes we have to start with saying “I don’t know!”
- Became a part of a community rather than people trying to provide answers
- People may use different terms, but they often understand the concepts you are trying to teach
- You learn more by listening, you cannot make assumptions about what people do or don't know
- Avoid language like "get them to…". We want to “invite people to….”
- Our messaging becomes an invitation, can assist us in broadening our audience
- More welcoming and impactful
- One of the places we can start with in going from theory to practice is recognizing the importance of integrity and authenticity in connecting with the people we want to work with
- History of research of communities that doesn't end up benefitting the community -- people don't trust researchers
- Important questions to ask yourself:
- Am I engaging at a level that is deeper than my subject?
- Are we making sustainable connections that go beyond the immediate/initial interaction?
- As we think about things in this way, we can challenge each other and our way of approach
- Ask questions w/o being condescending, making connections can open up ears
- If you go just to tell, you won't make sustainable, lasting impact
- Creating conversations that are informational and engaging, and continuing conversations even with folks who don't initially embrace our message
- Our range is very wide, but we can still connect
- It is important to build the relationship, even if you never get to make the nature connection
- How do we craft an elevator pitch for NCH2?
- Spring coffee where people give their best "sound bite", elevator pitch, or a quick experience
- What's your invitation? Using that intentional language
- Share any new connections you have made, or how you have put theory into practice
- Plan a coffee w/ the intention being inviting new people