A project of Baltimore Connecting Children to Nature, Nature Nurtures is a platform for building skills and developing a like-minded community with an equal stake in education, environmental access, youth, healing, and the benefits of nature. You can find more information on our first Nature Nurtures symposium in 2020 here and on our 2021 workshop series here (including recordings of some of the 2021 workshops).
The 2022 Nature Nurtures symposium was a one-day, in-person event held at The William S. Baer School in west Baltimore. It was attended by dozens of educators and other people who work with youth, and featured:
– A keynote speech and Q&A session with the founder of Backyard Basecamp and BLISS Meadows, and winner of the inaugural Richard Louv Prize for Innovation in Nature Connection, Atiya Wells
– Trainings on understanding youth trauma and creating pathways to healing with leaders in the field, including Dr. Bruce Purnell (The Love More Movement), Kimberley Lagree-Saleh, LHE (Baltimore City Office of Youth & Trauma Services), and Hope Gilchrist, LCPC (A Rey of Hope Counseling Services)
– An amazing range of indoor and outdoor workshops, including:
• Nature Based Mental Health & Resiliency with Heidi Schrieber-Pan and Zoe Jack from the Center for Nature-Informed Therapy
• Botanical Art as a Way to Learn about Nature with Molly Hoopes from the Baltimore City Department of Recreation & Parks
• Wielding Storytelling to Invite Radical Healing & Rest with Charity Kenyell from the Healing Youth Alliance
• Computational Thinking, Trauma Informed Care, and Processing with Outdoor Learning with Kathleen Mazurek from the The William S. Baer School
• The Forest is the Therapist, the Guide Opens the Doors with Teddy Martello from the Baltimore City Department of Recreation & Parks
• Best Practices for Connecting Children to Nature with Gabriel Pickus from InDiGO: Inward Discovery Grows Outdoors
• iLive: Investigating Life in Various Environments with Akil Rahim, A C Learning Design Studios
• The Importance of Self-Esteem with Denim Fisher from the Healing Youth Alliance
• Fostering Deep Relationships to Nature with Philip Hosmer from Nature Worx
• Natural Engagement: The ABCs of Incorporating Nature into Advisory Classes with Elainia Ross-Jones from City Neighbors High School
• Composting 101 with Marvin Hayes from the Baltimore Compost Collective
• Creating Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences with Brittany Hall from the National Park Service Chesapeake and James Abbott from the James River Association
– Intentional space for networking and conversations based on attendee questions