Globally youth are leading more sedentary, indoor lifestyles and are less connected to their natural environment. Youth are carrying this sedentary lifestyle and a disconnection with nature into adulthood which creates a troubling trend for the future of the health of our communities, our economy, water quality, and conservation.
To generate a future where the waters of Coastal Alabama are revived and our coastal communities have taken responsibility for the health of our waters, youth need more time in nature and meaningful experiences on our waterways.
Mobile Baykeeper believes that the NextGen Baykeepers education program will help us succeed in our vision by providing memorable experiences within local waterbodies for participants that will initiate a lifelong relationship with their environment, give them resources to understand the environmental challenges present, and encourage them to act as stewards of our natural resources.
NextGen Baykeepers after-school program aims to bridge the gap between classroom education and real-world environmental challenges by providing immersive outdoor experiences to area youth. Recognizing that many youths today, particularly those in underserved communities, lack meaningful interactions with the outdoors, this program will offer experiential education to foster a connection with our local waterways.
The program centers on outdoor adventures through kayaking, nature connection, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) activities, and building responsibility through environmental stewardship. The program of activities will include Nature Journaling, Learning through Legacy: Alabama’s Environmental Education Guides, Project Learning Tree resources, and vetted hands-on lessons that connect with Mobile Baykeeper’s work related to the subject areas of pollution, oyster and seagrass populations, living shorelines, advocacy, and water quality. The final 2 weeks of the after-school program will focus on creating a stewardship project that can be applied in either homes, neighborhoods, parks, or schools.
Outdoor adventures such as kayaking, nature hikes, and scavenger hunts, immerse participants in their natural surroundings, fostering a direct, personal connection with the environment. These activities are designed to ignite a sense of wonder and curiosity about the natural world, which is the first step in developing a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship.
Integrating STEAM into the program of activities helps participants explore and understand environmental issues through a multi-disciplinary lens. This approach not only makes learning engaging and relevant but also equips participants with the critical thinking skills needed to analyze and address complex environmental challenges.
NextGen Baykeepers will foster agency in youth by engaging them in environmental stewardship that addresses problems they care about. Through building habits of enjoying time spent outside, NextGen Baykeepers will be made aware of local opportunities to continue recreating and learning outdoors to further grow their engagement with environmental stewardship.
Regular periods of reflection and guided discussions help participants process their experiences and articulate their thoughts and feelings about the environment. This reflective practice is essential for internalizing the values of environmental stewardship and developing a lifelong commitment to protecting the environment.
