Equity & Inclusion
Everyone has the right to explore and play in the outdoors; experience joy and connections; and discover their public lands, but not all kids have the opportunity. At NatureBridge, we work to increase access to our parks and we strive to create an experience that is inclusive and culturally relevant to all participants.
Scholarships
Funded by donors, our scholarship fund provides need-based support to students and schools that lack the economic opportunity to participate in NatureBridge programs. Many of these students would not be able to explore our national parks without financial support. In the 2017-2018 school year, we awarded over $1.4 million in scholarships that reached 46% of our student body.
And we can do more. To further close the equity gap in our parks, we will:
- Focus our outreach to new schools, or those for whom access is limited due to resource constraints.
- Increase the total funds available for scholarships by 50 percent by 2021.
Workforce
When students see themselves reflected in their educators, connections are more easily formed. They learn better. This has a lasting impact on youth, especially those who had little, if any, access to the outdoors - they come to understand that these parks are theirs and they feel empowered to explore and protect them.
This is why at NatureBridge, we put our efforts in recruiting and hiring workforce that closes the gap separating students and educators. Our Educator Development Program is dedicated to train and hire educators who have had historical and systemic barriers to the field of outdoor education and consequently the workforce.
Through our continual staff training, we are working to build welcoming and inclusive programs for all audiences to discover and learn in their national parks.
When students have educators who look like them or share similar life experiences, it creates an avenue to forge a deeper connection with our educators which allows them to develop deeper connections with nature.Diana Lopez, Senior Educator
Miho Aida
What I deeply care about the most in this world is summarized in 5 Es: environment, education, empathy, equity and empowerment. Since 2000 when I started my career as an environmental educator at NatureBridge, my life has been dedicated to increasing the visibility and access of those from marginalized communities to our parks, environmental education and its workforce.
My role as the Equity and Inclusion Manager is to orchestrate NatureBridge-wide efforts to improve the organization’s cultural relevancy and ability to serve a diverse range of our audiences and employees.
—Miho Aida, Equity & Inclusion Manager
Stories from the Field
Why Immersive Outdoor Experiences Are For Everyone
Educator Jasmin Gonzalez shares her perspective on inclusivity in the outdoors through the lens of a group of sixth grade students from Davis Middle School in Compton, California.
Champion Teacher Harold Galvez
Harold Galvez of Vine Street Elementary School has been working toward making a NatureBridge trip a reality for his students for nearly 10 years. And on February 18, he’ll accompany 34 sixth grade students to Yosemite National Park—a first-time trip for almost the entire group.
REI Poncho Project Ensures All Kids Feel at Home in the Outdoors
Longtime partner REI donated 250 sustainable “Outdoors for Everyone Poncho” to our Olympic campus, helping all kids feel like they belong by ensuring that they stay dry and comfortable during programs in the often inclement Pacific Northwest weather.
Sustain NatureBridge
Like so many others, we have made difficult decisions in response to COVID-19 with far-reaching implications for our students, staff and future. Our programs—the reason we exist—are cancelled for the rest of the school year. That's 13,000 kids who don't get to experience their national parks this spring. For our nonprofit, it also means $5 million in lost revenue and significant staff reductions. We, like so many others, are in crisis.