Natural Leaders Network Announces Largest Gift: $200,000 from The REI Foundation
Minneapolis, Minnesota (PRWEB) April 21, 2014 -- The Natural Leaders Network, a program of the Children & Nature Network, is proud to announce the largest gift – $200,000 from The REI Foundation – to continue their work to build a worldwide youth movement to strengthen the bond between people and nature. Together with the REI Foundation and founding partners, The North Face and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Natural Leaders are investing in the next generation of diverse “Nature-Smart” young leaders in a deep and lasting way.
The vision of the Natural Leaders Network is to empower diverse young leaders with the training and skills necessary to create lasting change in their communities to curb Nature-Deficit Disorder. Nature-Deficit Disorder is the phrase coined by best-selling author Richard Louv to serve as a description of the human costs of today’s alienation from nature. “The most effective future leaders of a new nature movement will come from the generation and the communities that face the most barriers to connecting with nature,” says Louv, co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Children and Nature Network. “That doesn’t mean that the rest of us should expect them to carry the full weight of leadership. It means that every person has a human right to experience and receive the gifts of the natural world.”
The centerpiece of the Natural Leaders Network is the Natural Leaders Legacy Camp. Participants, ages 18-29, are selected through a competitive application process to attend the weeklong camp. Young leaders receive intensive training and ongoing support to create lasting social change in their communities to ensure that all children (and adults) experience the benefits of a meaningful, daily connection with the natural world. These emerging leaders are supported by the Natural Leaders staff and by each other in a peer-to-peer mentoring model to accomplish specific goals within their home communities. Applications are being accepted now through April 30 for the 2014 Legacy Camp.
“This program empowers young people to serve as change-makers in their local community in the fields of outdoor recreation and conservation, giving them the tools they need to become leaders not for tomorrow, but for today,” says Juan Martinez, Director of the Natural Leaders Network. “One of the biggest challenges we’re seeing in the conservation community is the increasing age and lack of diversity of park users and outdoor enthusiasts. The REI Foundation’s support of the Natural Leaders Network highlights their leadership and commitment to helping us ensure a vibrant future of Nature-Smart leaders.”
Since its inception in 2008, the Natural Leaders Network has continued to expand their reach, and this generous funding from the REI Foundation will enable expansion to 60 new communities, bringing the total number of communities reached to 150.
“Across the outdoor recreation industry, we sense that generation by generation fewer people are spending a meaningful amount of time outside and enjoying nature,” said Marc Berejka, REI’s director of government and community affairs and president of The REI Foundation. “Programs like the Natural Leaders Network are leading the way in engaging younger outdoor enthusiasts and entrusting them to find new ways to connect their generation to the outdoors.”
About The Children and Nature Network:
Since it’s founding in 2006, the Children & Nature Network has been advocating for children, their families and communities to enhance their health and well being through direct experiences in nature. C&NN’s vision is a world in which all children play, learn and grow with nature in their everyday lives. The Children & Nature Network is leading a movement to connect all children, their families and communities to nature through innovative ideas, evidence-based resources and tools, broad-based collaboration and support of grassroots leadership. C&NN provides a wide range of research and user-friendly tools, including those to enhance positive family bonding and access to fun, friendly nature-based activities. For more information, visit http://www.childrenandnature.org.
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Juan Martinez, Children & Nature Network, http://www.childrenandnature.org/naturalleaders, +1 (323) 420-6944, [email protected]
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