Matter Out of Place
Last week at Camp Shalom, I took advantage of the last few weeks of program season and joined a group of NatureBridge students for a hike. The 5th graders I spent the morning with were from Extera, a public school in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Extera received nearly $5,000 in scholarship funds in order to make their NatureBridge trip possible.
I joined for the Challenge Hike. The nerves were palpable, and it took longer than usual to get started with lots of dragging feet in anticipation of the 5-mile hike to the Nicholas Flats Pond. Recognizing and honoring these anxieties, our NatureBridge educator, Elizabeth, took extra time with us, generating excitement to overcome the challenge and work together as a team.
The group was mostly male and all Latinx, but one of the few girls in the group requested a job. “You can be the MOOP Master,” Elizabeth responded. We then got into a conversation about MOOP – Matter Out of Place – and ways to recognize it and what to do about it. “Can someone give me an example of MOOP?” asked Elizabeth. “Trash!” said one student. “Apple cores!” said another.
A third small voice added, “Me.”
There was a long pause before Elizabeth asked the student, “ Why do you say that?”
He responded, “Because I’m out of place. I’m out of place here.”
Elizabeth tried to clarify. “Do you think you’re out of place in the woods?”
“Yes, I am out of place everywhere here. I don’t belong here. I belong in Mexico.”
Elizabeth paused again, and the 5th graders were unusually quiet. She said, “It makes me feel so sad that you feel that way. You belong here. We all belong here.”
And just like that, we went on our way. The hike began, the chatter and goofing around resumed. There were shrieks of excitement and groans of complaint. All the while, I was taking in what had just happened. I’ve never felt out of place in the woods. It’s where I go to come home. What if I never had that? Furthermore, what if I never felt at home anywhere, or what if I felt like home was a faraway place that I couldn’t get to?
About a half mile in, we stopped to play a game. It was an exercise to illustrate interconnectedness – between each other, between different species, between living and nonliving, and between things that “belong” here and things that don’t. I don’t know if Elizabeth had planned to do this, but it was a stroke of genius either way. I watched the boy who considered himself MOOP pick a flower, and talk about how the flower needed the water from the stream we’d just crossed. I’ll never know if he consciously recognized himself as part of the web we created, but I know for a moment, he realized he was right where he was supposed to be.
Stories
2024 Student of the Year: Kai Diaz
At NatureBridge, we celebrate the stewards of today and foster the development of the stewards of tomorrow, working to inspire environmental stewardship in all our participants. Our goal is to motivate our students to make waves and be changemakers in their communities and for our planet.
Each year, NatureBridge honors a student who has demonstrated leadership, growth and a commitment to protecting our natural world as a result of their participation in a NatureBridge program. This year’s honoree will be recognized and will speak at An Evening Outside with NatureBridge on Thursday, May 16 at our Golden Gate campus.
We are thrilled to announce our 2024 Student of the Year: Kai Diaz.
An Interview with Evening Outside Keynote Speaker Dr. Britt Wray
The minute we found out about the work of Dr. Britt Wray, we knew we wanted to learn more about her. A well-respected author and scientist, Dr. Wray possesses expertise in an area of research we talk about a lot at NatureBridge—specifically how we can be resilient, hopeful, and actionable amid a changing world, including the climate crisis. We’re thrilled that Dr. Wray will be joining us on May 16 for An Evening Outside with NatureBridge as our Featured Speaker. Ahead of the event, we had the chance to ask her a few questions relating to her work and her connection to the mission of NatureBridge.
Staff Spotlight: Appreciation for Miho Aida
Miho Aida (she/they) has held multiple roles at NatureBridge over the past twenty-four years, including Environmental Science Educator, Community Connection Coordinator, Field Staff Scientist, Marine Project Coordinator, Pacific Rim Environmental Education Specialist, Armstrong Scholars Educator, Diversity Coordinator, Equity and Inclusion Manager, and Director of Equity and Inclusion. Now, on the eve of Miho's departure, we asked them to reflect on their time at NatureBridge and share a bit about their upcoming adventures.