NLNCurriculum2013FINAL

iden ty, and developed a Natural Leaders Toolkit to help their peers connect youth to the outdoors. The Legacy Camp Training is increasing the size and scope of the Natural Leaders Network. NLLI par cipants are now trained leaders connected by a shared set of values. They are replica ng and sharing these tools at the grassroots community level. They are becoming prominent leaders who are helping solve nature‐deficit disorder, one community at a me. We must come together to bring forth a posi ve revolu on of values to empower local communi es — whether by taking a family trip to the mountains or a nightly walk with the dog, we must work together to make outdoor experiences a reality for every person in every community. Figh ng nature‐deficit disorder will make our families stronger; it will make our children stronger; it will make our communi es stronger. This movement is about hope and the Natural Leaders Legacy Ini a ve is about the future. We are crea ng a cohesive, structured and streamlined plan and laying the groundwork to build the

“For most of human history, people chased things or were chased themselves. They turned dirt over and planted seeds and saplings. They took in Vitamin D from the sun, and learned to tell a crow from a raven (ravens are larger; crows have a more nasal call; so say the birders). And then, in less than a genera on’s me, millions of people completely decoupled themselves from nature. There’s a term for the consequences of this divorce between human and habitat — Nature‐Deficit Disorder, coined by the writer Richard Louv in a 2005 book, ‘Last Child in the Woods’…… But there is an obvious solu on — just outside the window.” — Timothy Egan, New York Times, March 30, 2012

The me is now for a genera on of young, diverse and commi ed people to engage communi es na onwide in the fight to solve nature‐deficit disorder. We are excited to announce the Natural Leaders Legacy Ini a ve (NLLI). With major support from our sponsors The North Face, REI and the USFWS, the NLLI presents an

opportunity to train, ac vate and support some of the best young leaders of our me to empower communi es na onwide. We are building strong intergenera onal grassroots leadership. Our leaders are equipped with ou ngs training (to move their communi es outside) and community leadership skills (to engage their communi es in sustainable solu ons for nature‐deficit disorder). We know that the path towards solu ons runs through empowering communi es — this is the way to build a legacy, to build a movement. As Cesar Chavez said, “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community… Our ambi ons must be broad enough to include the aspira ons and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.” Solving nature‐deficit disorder will help the progress and prosperity of all of our communi es. Since its incep on in 2008, the Natural Leaders Network (NLN) has had a proven track record of success providing leadership tools to a diverse set of millennials. Our na onal core team has built a na onal and interna onal

Overview

Natural Leaders Network

2 0 1 3 C U R R I C U L U M G U I D E N A T U R A L L E A D E R S

P A G E 2

Continued from Page 1

first na onal network of support and mentorship for young diverse leaders on this issue. So let us rededicate ourselves to the long, but beau ful, struggle to connect every youth with nature and give a new genera on a special place in the outdoors to call their own. Only through empowering our communi es can we solve nature‐deficit disorder.

The me is now. Juan Mar nez, Children & Nature Network’s Director of Leadership Development & the Natural Leaders Network

Mar n LeBlanc, founding Board Member of the Children & Nature Network and Natural Leaders Network Advisory Board

How to Use this Guide in your own community, state or region. We hope your training will help you grow your own Natural Leaders Network! When you do, please let us know how it goes. This guide is also NOT meant to be a sta c, unchanging guide. We an cipate that as more people use it, new ideas and best prac ces will

emerge. As that happens, let us know what works best! We are eager to adapt the lessons, add to the curricula, and ul mately make this guidebook as useful as possible. Best of luck in all your endeavors, The Natural Leaders Network

This Natural Leaders Legacy Camp Curriculum is meant to be a guidebook rather than a recipe book. In other words, we pose a number of ideas for you, the user, to consider as well as ideas for how you might lead and facilitate a similar training for yourself. Our hope is that you will reference this when facilita ng a similar training

IN THE CURRICULUM GUIDE

How to Use this Guide

2

Terminology 3-5

Best Practices in Facilitation

6-9

Training Topics & Content

10-13

Sample Lessons & Activities

14-17

Closing 18

“For unflagging interest and enjoyment, look at children, if things go reasonably well. Certainly all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison.” President Teddy Roosevelt

N A T U R A L L E A D E R S N E T W O R K

Terminology P A G E 3 N A T U R A L L E A D E R S C U R R I C U L U M G U I D E

Children & Nature Network Vision: A world in which all children play, learn and grow with nature in their everyday lives.

Mission: The Children & Nature Network is leading a movement

to connect all children, their families and communi es to nature through innova ve ideas, evidence‐based resources and tools, broad‐based collabora on and support of grassroots leadership. The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organiza ons working na onally and interna onally to reconnect children with nature. The

network provides a cri cal link between researchers and individuals, educators and organiza ons dedicated to children's health and well‐being. C&NN also promotes fundamental ins tu onal change and provides resources for sharing informa on, strategic ini a ves and success stories.

Who is a Natural Leader? Natural Leaders are people between the ages of 15‐29 who care about nature and helping other people, especially children, find a connec on to nature. Natural Leaders are part of the millennial genera on, who are teens and twenty‐somethings, moving into adulthood. Although Natural Leaders are 15‐29 years old, 18‐30 years olds are eligible to par cipate in the Natural Leaders Legacy Camp.

among Natural Leaders around the world that mobilizes young people to get outdoors and makes sure our na on’s leaders know how much we value those experiences. The worldwide NLN will further develop and contribute to the mission by resolving barriers to ge ng youth outdoors and providing opportuni es to connect to

each other and nature. The NLN brings together individuals, organiza ons, communi es, and sectors in a non‐par san, inclusive, peer‐to‐peer network. The Natural Leaders Network is an ini a ve of the Children & Nature Network (C&NN), with the support of The North Face and REI Founda on, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and founding support of The Sierra Club.

Our mission: The Natural Leaders Network (NLN) empowers a worldwide youth movement to strengthen the bond between children and nature. This movement involves youth in all environments, from rural to urban, and all economic and ethnic groups. Our vision is to build and cul vate a network

Natural Leaders Network

Natural Leader

“The Natural

Leaders

Network

empowers a

worldwide youth

movement to

strengthen the

bond between

children and

nature.”

P A G E 4

Natural Leaders Legacy Camp

Let’s G.O.! (Get Outside)

Natural Leaders Legacy Initiative

A movement is here. It has arrived and it needs

leaders. A legacy lies ready to be written and the ink for that legacy is within the energy of a young diverse generation. The Natural Leaders Legacy Initiative presents an opportunity to train, activate, and support some of the best young leaders of our time. We will do this by building strong intergenerational grassroots leadership in communities nationwide to solve nature-deficit disorder. These leaders will be equipped with Sierra

Club’s Outings Leader Certification* (to move their communities outside) and community leadership skills (to engage their communities in sustainable solutions for nature-deficit disorder). We know that the path towards solutions runs through empowering communities. This is the way to build a legacy, to build a movement. *Participants in the Legacy Camp received OLT 101 and 201, and can choose to become certified Outings Leaders by completing additional steps.

Families, teachers, students, mentors, grandparents and grand friends—especially children and youth—are invited to par cipate. In 2011, the Natural Leaders helped mobilize 100,000 people in 543 events through the Children & Nature

Let's G.O.! (Get Outside) was dreamed up by the Natural Leaders to rally people of all ages to Play, Serve and Celebrate during the month of April. We encourage intergenera onal groups of people to get outside, be ac ve, have fun and connect with nature.

Network’s Let’s G.O. (Get Outside) ini a ve and con nued the momentum in 2012 with 200,000 children and youth outdoors alongside more than 100,000 adults to “play, serve and celebrate” in nature in all fi y states. In 2013, there were more than 900 events with 350,000 par cipants!

Center in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and engaged 24 youth from around the country. Following the Legacy Camp, each new Natural Leader was asked to lead four events to engage their own communi es: 1. A Let’s G.O.! (Get

Outside) event, 2. An outdoor service

project, 3. A Nature‐Deficit

Disorder House Party, and

4. An Ou ngs Leader Training.

The Legacy Camp is the me and place where the

NLN team grows and new Natural Leaders receive training in community and outdoor leadership in order to take on the challenge of ge ng more youth outside in their home communi es. The 2012 Legacy Camp took place at the For the Love of Children Outdoor Educa on


Serve Outdoors September (S.O.S.) P A G E 5 N A T U R A L L E A D E R S C U R R I C U L U M G U I D E

Serve Outdoors September was launched to inspire, cul vate and nourish a life‐long commitment to nature‐based play and recrea on in people of all ages, especially children and youth. Service projects physically enhance, maintain and restore natural areas as well as bring high visibility to nature‐based intergenera onal service projects all year long with a special emphasis on outdoor service in September.

Home Groups At the Natural Leaders Legacy Camp, all participants and facilitators are organized into regionally-based home groups prior to arrival. Before, during, and after the Legacy Camp, these home groups serve as the structure for the mentoring relationship and support system.

Facilitator The person teaching a training session or leading a discussion. Par cipant For the sake of this guide, a par cipant is someone who is par cipa ng in a discussion or training but is not the designated facilitator.

The House Party is an opportunity to bring community members together to discuss the presence of nature‐deficit disorder in their own community and approaches to try to address a disconnect between children and the outdoors. The House Party is designed to help grow momentum through community leadership to get more people, especially children, outdoors in nature.

For the sake of this curriculum, the Natural Leaders Network partnered with the Sierra Club’s ou ngs program to offer training based on their Ou ngs Leader Curriculum. The Sierra Club has extensive informa on on their Ou ngs Leader Training (OLT) curriculum which can be found on their website ‐ h p://www.sierraclub.org/ou ngs/training/leadership.aspx. Par cipants in the Legacy Camp received OLT 101 and 201, and can choose to become cer fied by Sierra Club Ou ngs Leaders by comple ng addi onal steps.

Nature‐deficit disorder (NDD) is a decreased health and happiness epidemic in children and adults associated with a lack of interac on with nature. Coined by CNN co‐founder Richard Louv, NDD is not a medical diagnosis; it’s a descrip on of societal changes that have occurred in the last 30‐40 years.

Nature-Deficit Disorder

Final Terms

NDD House Party Outings Leader Training

P A G E 6

Facilitated by a

small group in

which each person

brings his or her

own personal

style, preferences,

and comfort...

3-way Balance of Attention

Best Practices in Facilitation For the Natural Leaders Legacy Camp, trainers design sessions around content topics (to be discussed in the following sec on) and facilitate them based on the following best prac ces. This curriculum is designed to be facilitated by a small group in which each person brings his or her own personal style, preferences, and comfort for facilita on to the larger group.

As you embark on using these facilita on techniques, please adapt them and make them your own. Then let us know what you find to be the most successful.

Knowing the Background and Entry Point of Par cipants Remember to meet your par cipants where they are and know your audience. For example, are you about to lead a session on trip planning with someone who has spent the past 5 years leading overnight hiking trips on the Appalachian Trail? If you are, consider how to modify your session to take advantage of this exper se. Facilitators do not always have to be the sole holders of knowledge (it’s

Share & Review the Objec ves of the Session In other words “tell the par cipants what you’re going to teach them; teach them; then tell them what you taught them.” This makes it clear from the beginning of the session what you will be doing and what par cipants should expect to learn. This also allows you and the par cipants to authen cally evaluate whether or not the objec ves were met.

impossible!), but they do need to be skilled in drawing out experience from the group and allowing appropriate knowledge sharing. For the 2012 Legacy Camp, each par cipant wrote and shared a brief biography, resume, and overview of outdoor experiences with the facilitators. With this informa on, facilitators considered ahead of me how to integrate individual and collec ve knowledge and experiences to “resource” the group and create a richer experience for everyone involved.

(lecturing), instruc ons, or summarizing an insight;

• Facilitator’s a en on on the par cipants – this happens when par cipants are sharing ideas or discussing an idea as a large group or when facilitators are interac ng 1‐on‐1 with par cipants; and

• Par cipants’ a en on on par cipant/s – this

happens in small group discussions between par cipants as well as when one par cipant is sharing with the larger group.

By allowing for the variety of foci of a en on on different people, you can increase engagement as well as draw on the knowledge and experiences of the whole group. Overall, your session will be richer and result in deeper learning and conversa ons by balancing the focus of a en on.

As you prepare to lead a session, think about maintaining a balance in how the par cipants’ and facilitator’s a en on are focused during your session. Here are the 3 a en on foci to be aware of: • Par cipants’ a en on

on the facilitator – this happens when facilitators are delivering informa on


Lecture & Discussion P A G E 7 N A T U R A L L E A D E R S C U R R I C U L U M G U I D E

Lecture Although lecture is not always the most engaging or crea ve way to deliver or receive informa on, it can be effec ve. Consider using lecture when

me is short and you need to deliver informa on quickly. Also, use lectures when informa on is very fact‐based; in these cases, efficient and clear delivery of informa on is important to make certain each par cipant understands the content.

Discussion In a skilled and knowledgeable group, engaging in discussions can result in profound understandings. Discussions can take place in different sizes of groups as well as address a variety of goals. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind: • Ask good ques ons. This comes

with prac ce and with careful considera on of what you want the group to discuss or reflect on. The best teachers o en memorize the ques ons they want to ask students each day and remain flexible and crea ve when the situa on demands a different ques on. Good ques ons will elicit responses that address what is asked and prompt cri cal

thinking in a discussion. • Re‐state or paraphrase. When facilita ng

discussions, it can o en be valuable to re‐state or paraphrase statements from the group. Re‐statement can increase understanding of par cipants and allow the par cipant who made the ini al statement to assure that the facilitator has the intended meaning or to correct the statement.

• Silent Conversa ons. Try a silent conversa on when you want to draw out thoughts from each par cipant in the group but do not need to hear each person’s voice. In a silent conversa on, topics (possibly ques ons, phrases or words) are posted visually around a room. Each par cipant has a marker and moves silently through the space responding to the prompts for a given amount of me. Following the silent conversa on, have an individual read or summarize the responses for the en re group.

• To establish a culture of reflexive and empowered Natural Leaders, both individually and as a community • To develop skills in crea ve journaling for systems thinking, problem solving, and fun • To navigate the concepts of mentors, mentees, and rela onal accountability

Experiences can be interspersed throughout training and can be facilitated as solitary or small group experiences. Experience should ideally be focused around a crea ve journal (blank unlined book). It will require a short introductory orienta on to engage par cipants in the process. This book ends up becoming a personalized “text‐book” of the experience, providing a place to take notes and also delve deeper into thought processes, idea crea on, reflexivity, and solace. Descrip ons Crea ve Journaling is a highly engaging, crea ve process that encourages par cipants to explore their own expression as it relates to understanding social, ecological, poli cal, and other systems. It could be called the “power‐

tool” of environmental educa on, building on tenets of observa on but also moving through to ac ve planning, mind‐mapping, and other ar s c and crea ve forms. Crea ve journaling is not a “Dear Diary” but it exists as a highly professional and sacred tool that can help leaders through their ongoing career. Transforma ve Inquiry is a process that engages learners in exploring their own learning spirit. It helps people connect and engage in meaningful dialogue and helps transform cultural percep on and understanding. Ac vi es Crea ve Journals can be used in a number of ways: 1. Reflexive wri ng or drawing about past,

present, or future experiences 2. Explora on of thoughts and connec ng

concepts as a way to frame new ideas 3. Note‐taking or “parking‐lots” for ideas in

order to maintain the current flow of an ac vity

4. Observa ons of events or natural occurrences as a ‘snapshot’ of an experience

5. Brainstorming with each other and individually for future explora on

Overview Facilita ng a personal inquiry and reflexive narra ve project can enhance experien al learning environments. Crea ve journaling ac vi es revolve around suppor ng Natural Leaders connec ng with personal passions and going beyond iden fying those to a place of deeper introspec ve and contextual understanding. These experiences are facilitated as crea ve journaling experiences and peer‐based discussions through short ac vi es as a way for Natural Leaders to iden fy and deepen the rela onship with their unique and impassioned skills. This would also enable an understanding of how this informs their own mo va on and how it can mo vate others. Goals

• To enhance, support, and contribute to the overall Natural Leaders Legacy Camp Experience

Creative Journaling by Nick Stanger

P A G E 8

Mentoring is

showing others

how the people

who are really

good at doing

something, do it..

Mentoring A few defini ons for considera on

Mentor ‐ A wise, trusted counselor or teacher (dic onary.com). Mentoring is showing others how the people who are really good at doing something,

do it. Mentoring is helping you be “more like me” because of experience and technical proficiency. The process o en involves feedback, advice, and technical fixes. (from Teton Science Schools).

Consult/counsel – Advice, guidance, direc on, ps, warnings, informa on. Supplies informa on, iden fies and analyzes gaps, suggests solu ons, thinks aloud about rela onships, and makes connec ons to principles of prac ce.

Facilitate ‐ One who contributes structure and process to interac ons so groups are able to func on effec vely and make high quality decisions.

Structure of Mentoring Experiences from the 2012 Legacy Camp:

Prior to the Legacy Camp Start the mentoring rela onship prior to the start of your Legacy Camp or training. Check‐in with par cipants by phone or email. Introduce yourself & answer ques ons that

the par cipants might have. At the Legacy Camp

Now is the me to really build rela onships. Daily “official” check‐ins are important. Informal and casual check‐ins are also important – over meals, during breaks, walking around the facility.

Formal check‐ins ‐ Each day the home group mee ngs are structured about discussing highs & lows (peaks & valleys or roses & thorns) of the day. This allows everyone a chance to reflect on their day and provides a star ng point of conversa on.

Here’s a sample progression of mentoring experiences for a 5‐day training: • Day 1 – introduce yourself in person to each par cipant in your group. Casual

check‐in. • Day 2 – This is the first me your home group will officially meet together.

Consider an ini a ve or name game to help everyone get to know each other. Let par cipants prac ce telling their personal story. Build a trus ng, comfortable safe environment by discussing expecta ons and par cipa on.

• Day 3 – We will have had a lot of fun kayaking & started to dive into the Ou ngs Leader Training. Discuss key learnings and applica ons of what they learned. Think about & discuss opportuni es to transfer what par cipants have learned back home.

• Day 4 – We will have con nued & completed the Legacy Camp por on of Ou ngs Leader Training, including some emo onal topics – child abuse recogni on & preven on. Facilitate open conversa on about the sessions & how prepared the par cipants feel to lead their own ou ngs. The evening will be focused on partnerships. Discuss opportuni es for partnership within home communi es.

•Day 5 – It’s all about transla ng this work back home! Spend me defining how your home group will con nue working together so that each par cipant in the team can accomplish & lead all 4 events (Let’s GO, service project, ou ngs training, and a house party). Set up a structure for how you will follow‐up (maybe a group phone call every 2‐4 weeks) and make certain that each par cipant is willing to commit to that structure. Ask them what they would like your role to be in suppor ng them and how the Natural Leaders as a whole can support them. Find out what the par cipants are most looking forward to and what they are most nervous about. Share your experiences with them. (Remember – mentoring is helping someone else to be “more like you.”. You’ve got a lot of great experiences and wisdom to share; as do the other

home group par cipants.) • Day 6 – Departures. Remind your home group to stay in touch & con nue working

together and suppor ng each other.


Mentoring Continued P A G E 9 N A T U R A L L E A D E R S C U R R I C U L U M G U I D E

Following the Legacy Camp • Follow the structure for

follow‐up and communica on that your home group establishes.

• Remember that transi oning from the Legacy Camp back home might be difficult and following up on the expecta ons might be challenging too. Remind par cipants that they commi ed to the expecta ons of the Legacy

Camp and that you and others in your Natural Leaders group are all around to support implemen ng the events.

• Check‐in periodically with home group par cipants.

• Celebrate successes when par cipants lead events & encourage them to share successes with all the Legacy Camp par cipants.

Periodically (every 6‐12 months) evaluate the structure of the mentoring rela onship – how is it

working? How could it work be er? Is it me to find new mentors?

Meagan Mullens, a Natural Leader from southern Florida, led her Nature‐Deficit Disorder House Party at Oleta River State Park in Miami with her church. She wrote “Mount Olive Bap st Church plans events for middle and high school students on weekdays when school is not in session. The youth pastor at the church tapped me to lead a kayaking trip in order to engage youth during their day off. During lunch, I led a conversa on about the Nature‐Deficit Disorder and facilitated a round‐picnic‐table discussion where students had an opportunity to reflect and share about their unwillingness to disconnect.”

Natural Leader’s Stories

Natural Leader Natasha Khanna led a Service Project in her community in Long Beach, CA on December 25, 2012 called the Long Beach Christmas Beach Clean‐up. Sixty‐five community members gathered to clean the beach for about an hour. Trash and recyclables were separated and weighed. Natasha partnered with the Angeles Forest Service and Outward Bound Adventures to bring a group of youth from John Muir High School in Altadena to the beach cleanup. They learned about environmental stewardship, the sources of pollu on and the impacts of the breakwater on the Long Beach Coastline.

P A G E 1 0

“Organizers bring

people together,

challenging them

to act on behalf of

their shared values

and interests.”

Marshall Ganz

From www.matchondrygrasss.org:

Training Topics & Content Best Prac ces in Organizing By: Ray Rivera, Co‐founder of Democracy.com Goals: • Iden fy best prac ces

in community leadership and grassroots organizing

• Provide examples of the success of grassroots organizing in crea ng change

“Organizers bring people together, challenging them to act on behalf of their shared values and interests. They develop the rela onships, mo vate the par cipa on, strategize the pathways, and take the ac on that enables people

to gain new apprecia on of their values.” ~ Marshall Ganz Organizing Principles: • Listening • Rela onships • Ac on • Power • Empowerment • Community Our challenge: • Use grassroots and

community organizing to:

⇒ Fulfill the mission of the Natural Leaders Network

⇒ Help us do our work be er

⇒ Build a strong support network of partners and allies – here and back home

⇒ Measure and show success so we can build the program

⇒ Add our diverse stories and experiences to the work, so we can add more diversity to the outdoors

⇒ Get children in nature! 5 steps of a successful One on One • Introduc on “get in

the door” • Listening • Educate / Agitate • Ask to par cipate in

solu on • Get a specific

commitment / Move to Ac on

Telling Your Personal Story: Building & Leveraging Rela onships By: Hanna Pinneo & James King, Jr. Goals: • To create a be er sense of self awareness • To iden fy our own leadership styles • To become comfortable with sharing our stories in public • To learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses The Telling Your Story session prepares par cipants to explain why the movement to reconnect children and nature is so important to them. This explana on takes shape in a personal narra ve. Throughout the session you should facilitate self‐reflec on and deep thought so par cipants can iden fy important events and aspects of their lives that played a role in connec ng them to nature. As the par cipants develop their story you should provide them with specific parameters and elements to include so there is some congruency between stories. One of the elements that all par cipants include is a e between their story and the mission of the Natural Leaders Network. This connec on provides the par cipant with a smooth transi on into talking about the movement. By telling a personal story, par cipants can explain the movement to others in an interes ng and engaging way.


P A G E 1 1 N A T U R A L L E A D E R S C U R R I C U L U M G U I D E

achievable. Vision Statements are broad, idealis c and imagina ve by nature. Vision Statements are value‐driven and begin to define the culture of your idea. Mission Statements answer the ques on how and are inherently more specific, although should be broad enough to encompass all poten al strategies. Mission Statements serve as a direc on towards Ac on and are essen al to strategic decision making. Ac on (or Strategy) defines the step‐by‐step process your idea will go through to reach its full poten al. Ac on Plans are linear with well‐defined roles, responsibili es and evalua ons for each benchmark. Turning the Vision to Ac on Goals: • To understand the defini on

and importance of taking ac on and following through with their vision.

• To write an ac on plan and be mo vated to find avenues on how to implement that plan in their own communi es.

In turning vision to ac on, having a framework for laying out the course ahead is key to success. The following ac on planning document was designed to be a useful tool to lead successful events. See the following page for the Natural Leaders Ac on Plan Template.

Vision & Ac on By Rosie Williams & Krista Bustamante Developing a Vision Goals: • To define mission and

vision statements. • To understand the vision

behind the four events to lead in following the Legacy Camp.

• To create a Vision Statement for one of the four events and present to the larger group.

Vision, Mission and Ac on are dis nct processes when developing ideas. Vision can be seen as the overarching essen al purpose or the inten on behind the idea. A Vision Statement should answer the ques on why and is not necessarily immediately

Using Communica on to Develop Leaders By: Hanna Pinneo & Tyrell Hughes Goals: • To provide insight into a variety of communica on tools used to enhance social movements. • To develop greater awareness of interpersonal communica on skills. During the Communica ons session of the Legacy Camp, you should focus on understanding how individuals communicate and perceive things differently. Observing different channels of communica on and how non‐verbal cues dominate most of our communica on, you can stress that an effec ve communicator is able to deliver a clear message to any audience once you know the demographics of their audience. Through role playing and video examples we help par cipants evaluate and prac ce different non‐verbal and verbal communica on skills. We also demonstrate how these tools and prac ces can be effec ve when networking and communica ng with donors. An addi onal topic to include is how non‐verbal communica on comprises a large amount of the communica on people use with others. Analyzing the things that we are saying verbally is important, but what individuals may be indica ng with movement, facial expressions, and a tude is a cri cal part of communica on. Emails, proposals, follow‐up texts or just a proper gree ng can make or break poten al rela onships with either funders or partners. Being an effec ve communicator has worked for Natural Leaders as we put on programs. It can work for any par cipant if u lized correctly. This includes communica ng with the press and social networking. When communica ng with the press you should cover how to develop press releases and best ways to par cipate in an interview. During the social networking por on of the session, encourage par cipants to go beyond the major networks and use other forms of networking.

“To catch the reader's attention, place an

interesting sentence or quote from the story

here.”

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Se ng the ExAMPle: Accountability, Mentoring, and Purpose to Amplify the Movement By: Tyrell Hughes & Krista Bustamante Goals: • To inspire to lead by example. • To encourage the Natural Leaders

to systema cally incorporate nature advocacy in their everyday lives.

• To s mulate a conversa on around staying connected, measuring success, and avoiding burnout and dri .

“Take me Home”‐ Phil Collins

Transference and taking the message home is important as you conclude the Legacy Camp or your training. Par cipants have had even ul and

ac ve days of learning and ac vi es. It’s me to empower everyone to use what they have learned over the course of a few days and take it back to their communi es. The following event repor ng form was shared as a tool for concluding a successful event and communica ng the successes. Following the discussion of accountability requirements, your focus should shi to the emo ons based around obstacles we all will face as leaders trying to engage and educate others on Nature‐Deficit Disorder. Not everything we do will be fun, and we will have some poten als challenges and barriers. To assure that we could overcome the barriers with such a resourceful network as the Natural Leaders Network, you could show a clip from “The Pursuit of Happiness”

which embodies the essence of overcoming barriers. Use the clip to transi on the conversa on to FEARs (false expecta ons appearing real) and how to first admit our fears and then a ack them. The session can conclude with a bubble ac vity that puts each of the par cipants in a large circle together where the energy is centered on overcoming the fears and doing the work when each of us gets back to the community. Each par cipant explains what they hope to bring to the Network and blows a “posi ve life” bubble into the area to breathe it into existence.

Natural Leader Event Report

Thank you for your par cipa on with the Natural Leaders Network. Please complete this document in narra ve form for our records. Name: Name of the Event: Date of the event:

PART I Event Descrip on 1. Please describe your event.

2. How many people a ended the event?

3. Describe how the program/event addressed a need in your community and what difference the s pend made for the event.

4. How did you measure the success of the event? What methods did you use? A ach any evalua on forms used.

5. Were there any unan cipated results, either posi ve or nega ve? What did you learn and what changes will you make for future events?

6. What is your plan for con nuing, improving, expanding your program and how did this event/grant assist with that plan?

7. Describe any collabora ve partnerships you used for this event.

8. The Natural Leaders Network is interested in receiving feedback on your experience working with us for your event. Please provide any feedback regarding our part in assis ng with your event.

9. Please provide any addi onal informa on that we should know.

PART II Finance Report

For tracking purposes, it’s important to keep track of dona ons of money, goods and services, revenues, and how you spend any money.

1. Complete a report of dona ons, revenues, and expenses.

2. Do you have any unspent funds? If so, how you do plan on spending the remaining funds?

P A G E 1 4

“To catch the reader's attention, place an

interesting sentence or quote from the story

here.”

Sample Legacy Camp Outlines

5‐Day Legacy Camp Outline

3‐Day Legacy Camp Outline 1‐Day Legacy Camp Outline

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Morning: Orienta on and Introduc ons

Outdoor Experience

Ou ngs Leader Training Part 3

Vision & Ac on Mentoring, Event Leadership, and Home Group Closings

A ernoon: Telling Your Personal Story



Se ng the Example: Accountability, Mentoring, and Purpose to Amplify the Movement

Departures

Evening: Communica on and Home Group check‐ins

Ou ngs Leader Training Part 2 and Home Group check‐ins

Best Prac ces in Community Organizing and Home Group check‐ins

Closing Program and Campfire

For the first Natural Leaders Legacy Camp, we were fortunate to have five days to address our goals and objec ves. We have found that five days is the right amount of me to address the goals of the course and meet the Sierra Club’s requirements for Ou ngs Leader 101 and 201 trainings. If the me and resources allo ed for your Legacy Camp require that you have a shorter experience, we provide here the primary goals of the Legacy Camp as well as sample course outlines for one, three, and five day Legacy Camps. Goals:

• Develop a strong, posi ve community and team of vibrant Natural Leaders • Create a vision for a world where people are connected to nature • Provide leadership training for community organizing and outdoor experiences • Mentor Natural Leaders in the planning, implementa on, and facilita on of

events in their home communi es • Spend me enjoying the outdoors together


Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Morning:�

Orienta on and Introduc ons

Ou ngs Leader Training part 1

Vision & Ac on

A ernoon:�

Telling Your Personal Story

Ou ngs Leader Training part 2

Se ng the Example�

Evening:�

Communica on & Home Group check‐ins

Campfire

Morning:�

Introduc ons & Orienta on�

Telling Your Personal Story A ernoon:�

Ou ngs Leader Training 101�

Vision & Ac on Evening:�

Closing Program & Campfire


to get to the ni y gri y of mission and ac on. ACTIVITY 1 (20 minutes): ‐ Split a wall (or whiteboard) in half and label one half “defini ons” and the second half “examples.” Fill a hat (or other vessel) with prepared defini ons and examples of vision statements. Pass the hat around the circle of par cipants and have each one tape their piece of paper to the proper sec on of the wall. Ask them to stand by their paper. ‐One by one ask the par cipants standing by the defini ons to read theirs out loud; do the same for those standing by vision statement examples. ‐Facilitate a short conversa on about the purpose of a vision statement (you can also use the words purpose, inten on, hope, dream...)based on the defini ons and examples the group heard. Ask for other defini ons from personal experience. Ask the group to vote for their top three favorite defini ons and use the final three as the defini on of a vision statement for the remainder of the lesson. ACTIVITY 2 (20 minutes): ‐Ask par cipants to get into their home groups to brainstorm the vision/purpose/inten on behind each of the four events (Let’s G.O., Ou ngs Training, Service Event, House Party) that individuals will lead a er the Camp. Remember: in a brainstorm there are no wrong answers. Mentors: please sit with your home groups and listen to their

ideas. Now is not the me to give yes or no answers or even feed your group ideas of your own. Please take this me to observe what ideas are being generated within your group and take mental notes of any themes or pa erns that come up; they may be helpful later! ‐Op onal: Free write in journals on the topic of the NLN’s vision ACTIVITY 3 & WRAP UP (20 minutes): ‐Ask par cipants to look again at the examples and shared defini ons of vision statements from earlier. In home groups, ask par cipants to dra a vision statement for one of the events. Explain that even though there will be different missions and strategies to each par cipant’s event, having a shared vision will ensure that people in the Network are working towards a common purpose/inten on/dream. ‐Ask a representa ve of each group to present their vision statement. ‐Close with an introduc on to Ac on, asking par cipants to keep their vision in mind as they work out some of the details involved in mission and strategy. ‐Op onal: free write in journals with the prompt: “what is my personal purpose statement?”

Sample Lesson Plan #1: TITLE: Developing a Vision (Vision & Ac on Workshop, Legacy Camp 2012). Wri en by Rosie Williams, Natural Leader from Taos, New Mexico. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1. Par cipants will agree on a defini on of a Vision Statement. 2. Home Groups will brainstorm the purpose behind each of the four NLN events they will lead. Home Groups will dra a Vision Statement for one of the four events and present to the larger group. MATERIALS NEEDED: a hat, defini ons & examples of Vision Statements, tape, flip chart, markers PREP: • research defini ons and examples of vision statements and type them on slips of paper (try to get a good diversity of examples); prep the room with enough butcher paper and markers for each Home Group to have a brainstorm session on the four events INTRODUCTION (10 minutes): Introduce yourself using your personal purpose within the NLN and the mission behind this lesson. Explain the difference between vision (answers the big ques ons “why?”), mission (answers the big ques on “how?”) and strategy (daily steps towards success). Ask par cipants to stay at a high level of thinking through this ac vity (30,000 foot view). Explain that later in this session everyone will have a chance

With the best prac ces in facilita on and the content topics of the Legacy Camp in mind, here are some ideas for how you might lead a 2‐hour session on Vision or a 3‐hour session on Telling Your Personal Story. This is where we would like to make things interac ve too. As you try using this curriculum for your own work, make sure to document what you do and then share it with the Natural Leaders Network. We firmly believe in “share‐ware” – that is the idea that the power of our collec ve ideas is SO MUCH stronger than our individual ideas. We’ll con nue to share the ac vi es and lessons that we think are the most effec ve in illustra ng the topics in the Legacy Ini a ve. Please do the same!

Sample Lessons

P A G E 1 6

What is your first outdoor memory?

Sample Lesson #2—Telling Your Personal Story

Sample Lesson Plan #2: Title: Telling Your Personal Story: Building and Leveraging Rela onships Wri en by Hanna Pinneo, Natural Leader from Lincoln, Nebraska, and James King, Jr., Natural Leader from Atlanta, Georgia. Audience & Context: The par cipants are 24 youth selected to par cipate in the Legacy Camp as well as the other training team members. This session is on the first day so the par cipants are s ll trying to get to know and understand each other. Length of Time: The session is 3 hours long with two 10 minute breaks. Lesson Objec ves: Par cipants will:

• Have a be er sense of self awareness • Iden fy their personal leadership styles • Understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses • Have a prepared personal story • Understand why telling personal stories is important

Connec ons to Goals of the Legacy Camp: By understanding their leadership styles, strengths, and weaknesses the par cipants will be be er able to organize events and ac vi es because they will know what they are good at doing and with what they should get help. When par cipants think through their personal story, they will come to a be er understanding of what they are passionate about and why they became so passionate. This will help the par cipants be more comfortable with telling their stories to inspire others as well as help them recognize that everyone has their own path. Materials Needed: White board and dry erase markers Scratch paper Pens/pencils Note cards Colorful Sharpies Environmental Briefing & Risk Management: We may do parts of our session outside, depending on condi ons as we want everyone to be comfortable. If we do go outside it will be for short periods of me and we will stay close to the conference room/area. During small group me, groups will be encouraged to find an area inside or out where everyone is comfortable and able to par cipate in discussion. Plan: Review of Objec ves (10 minutes) This session will cover:

• Self‐Reflec on • Developing your personal Story • Integra ng your story into the organiza onal story • Making your story part of the ac on items

Reflexivity (30 minutes) Outside, facilitators lead par cipants through the following visualiza on:

• Think about an experience that is meaningful to you • Evaluate all of the senses • Take a picture



• Iden fy a few words that represent your story • Get into a posi on that represents your story • Hold it and put yourself in the moment • Allow me for thinking and journaling and ask: What did that feel like? What do you love to do? What do you think are

the most important elements of nature? • Report Back: A few people should share their answers

Parts to a Whole (10 minutes)

• Everything that each person iden fied are the elements of the story and next we will need to e them together. • Short and to the point:

◊ 3 minutes each ◊ 3 parts: the inspira on, the ah‐ha moment, synthesis

Facilitators will tell their story (10 minutes) This will help par cipants understand what a personal story is Developing your story (30 minutes)

• 6 groups of 4 individuals develop and write their personal stories • Use your reflec ons to start your stories, make an outline to help you visualize it. • Make sure you are being true to yourself and including your passions. • There is no reason to exaggerate; being genuine is more valued and a rac ve than having an unbelievable story • Writers Block? Ask yourself a few ques ons.

◊ Why did you want to come to the Legacy Camp? ◊ What is your first outdoor memory? ◊ What are you passionate about? ◊ What does a perfect world look like to you? ◊ Why do you love going outside?

Break (10 minutes) Developing your personal story and tying it to the mission (30 minutes)

• The Mission of the Natural Leaders Network • How to integrate and why we do it • Further develop your story

Finish the story and e it to ac on (20 minutes) The ac on is what will encourage others to get involved or will make them want to help you. Integrate messages such as:

• This inspired me to... • That is why I.... • So I got involved in... • So I work to... • It is important that this is believable, tangible, and understandable.

Break (10 minutes) Sharing your story (20 minutes)

• Two par cipants will share their stories and receive feedback on them. • We will encourage the other par cipants to share their stories and ask for feedback during meals and down me.

Natural Leaders Network http://www.naturalleaders.org

BIG thank you to all the par cipants of the first ever Natural Leaders Legacy Camp: Amanda Wilson Kristal Rodriguez Cassie Pastorelle Kristen Schulte Libby Thorson Kris ne Flythe Emily Bobrowich Ky Harkey Emma Epstein Laura Torres Erica Knox Meagan Mullens Estrella Perez Natasha Khanna Griff Ryan‐Roberts Ryan Strom Jose Lujan Temily McCutcheon Kari Eschenbacher Veronica Del Bianco Kellie Shircore Nicholas Clemmons Kluane Buser‐Rivet

Photo Credits: Nick Stanger and Chris an Alvarado Design: Leslie Cook Contributors: Juan Mar nez, Mar n LeBlanc, Ray Rivera, Nick Stanger, Leslie Cook, Krista Bustamante, Ma hew Browning, Tyrell Hughes, Rosie Williams, Hanna Pinneo, and James King

Special Thank You to the Natural Leaders Advisory Board!!

Ray Rivera Nick Stanger Becs Hoskins Daniella Ruth Lorincz Drader Jonathan Jourdane Brother Yusuf Burgess Mar n LeBlanc

Thank you to the Leadership of the Natural Leaders Legacy Team:

Krista Bustamante Ma hew Browning Tyrell Hughes Rosie Williams Hanna Pinneo James King Jr. Chris an Alvarado Ka a Rossi Tamara Poles Lizbeth Williams

THANK YOU! Sponsors:

Copyright © 2013. Children and Nature Network. All rights reserved.

NOTE: The role of the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) is to help build the children and nature movement, and to help youth and others learn about ways to get outside and connect to nature. C&NN is not responsible for the ac ons of specific Natural Leaders. Par cipants in C&NN's Natural Leaders Legacy Camp are volunteers. They take precau ons whenever they take children and youth outdoors in nature, and encourage everyone else to do so as well.

Documents

NLNCurriculum2013FINAL