Have your organization sign on to the Resolution below to help prioritize outdoor education for our New Mexico youth!
Resolution Supporting Leaving No New Mexico Child Inside
WHEREAS,
children today are spending more time watching television and playing video games than in
school, and even less time experiencing and enjoying the outdoors, resulting in “nature deficit disorder”; and
WHEREAS,
childhood obesity, attention deficit disorder and diabetes are growing problems in New Mexico
and promoting physical activity and a lifelong interest in the outdoors will contribute to the cognitive, physical, social, mental, spiritual and emotional well being of our children; and
WHEREAS,
many New Mexico youth –especially minorities and children from low-income communities– do not have easy access to nature and live in a structured society in which almost every moment of their day is scheduled and accounted for, adding to the stress levels and severely impacting our young; and
WHEREAS,
outdoor education and recreation create opportunities for youth to develop personal
connections with the natural and cultural landscape of their communities, and develop their own unique roles within that landscape; and
WHEREAS,
communities throughout New Mexico are utilizing outdoor education and recreation as a vehicle for ensuring excellence in education, making education relevant to learners, developing a workforce capable of meeting the challenges of the future, and improving the quality of life for communities; and
WHEREAS,
outdoor education and recreation increases awareness about the environment and its systems while developing critical-thinking and decision-making skills that will result in a citizenry empowered to meet
their future responsibilities regarding the environment; and
WHEREAS,
teachers and students are continually pressured to improve academic test scores –based on standards and benchmarks– and studies have shown that outdoor, interactive education can increase student standardized test scores and grade point averages, reduce discipline problems, improve attendance rates, build citizenry skills and resource stewardship ethics, improve conflict resolution and problem-solving skills, and
increase teacher job satisfaction; and
WHEREAS,
reconnecting our youth with nature is a community investment for all New Mexicans; and
WHEREAS,
with New Mexico’s unmatched beauty and natural lands, the state can and should lead the
nation in outdoor education, outdoor recreation, and experiential adventure-based learning programs; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
that [entity] recognizes the importance of outdoor education and
recreation and affirms the important role of outdoor experiences in preparing the next generation for
stewardship of local communities as well as global ecosystems; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that [entity] affirms that local communities should be empowered and
provided the necessary resources to engage their youth in outdoor education and recreation experiences; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that [entity] is committed to engage New Mexico decision-makers to
provide funding to help outdoor education and recreation programs become financially sustainable; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that [entity] hereby joins the Leave No Child INSIDE statewide coalition
and will communicate its support for outdoor education and recreation to its staff and membership; to organizations and networks with which [entity] is affiliated; and to the news media.
News from the National Coalition
No Child Left Inside Campaign Update
March 2008
The Coalition is Growing!
GREAT NEWS: The NCLI Coalition continues to grow. As of March 2008 we have more than 175 Coalition members, representing about 20 million Americans who support including environmental education in our classrooms. Groups representing a broad spectrum of interests and concerns, from youth organizations to businesses to outdoor sportsmen in addition to environmental and education organizations, are approaching us to find out what the movement is all about. This is without a doubt a national movement with growing influence on the national debate. Help us increase this influence by spreading the word about the No Child Left Inside Coalition. Tell people to visit our website and sign-up! (Website address is: www.eenclb.org)
Co-Sponsorship Scorecard
We now have 39 cosponsors in the House and 13 in the Senate. We need more.
Our strongest weapons remain the 19 million people represented through the NCLI Coalition! Please make that effort to get our message to members of Congress. We suggest a “Once a Week” commitment. That means making one phone call or sending one email or letter every week to your representatives.
Be sure to check out the NCLI website for news stories about environmental education and the No Child Left Inside movement.
News from the Hill
The big news is that your calls and letters have had a huge impact on Capitol Hill. When the NCLI team meets with Senate staff, they are finding that they are well aware of the NCLI legislation because they had heard from YOU. Nothing is more important to members of Congress and their staff than knowing that the folks back home care about an issue. Keep the letters and phone calls coming. It is making a very big difference.
We continue to focus on the members of the Senate HELP Committee, which we have heard may mark up the No Child Left Behind Reauthorization bill (NCLB) in the next several weeks. We want to be sure that the No Child Left Inside Act (S.1981) language is included in NCLB reauthorization draft legislation. So if one of your group’s senators is a HELP Committee member or if you have a relationship with a HELP Committee member, reach out now and let him or her know you support the NCLI Act of 2007 (S.1981) and ask him or her to cosponsor the NCLI bill and support its inclusion in the Committee NCLB reauthorization bill.
Even if your senator is not on the HELP Committee, now is the time to let him or her know that your group supports the NCLI legislation. Please continue the calls, emails, and letters to your senators asking them to support the NCLI Act and sign on as cosponsors. If you need any help with making these contacts, or drafting letters or newspaper OpEd pieces, be sure to contact us.
What Coalition Members are Doing: A Focus on Wyoming
Wyoming is a key state for NCLI because Senator Mike Enzi is the ranking Republican on the Senate HELP Committee. Our members are doing great things there, led by Sue McGuire, past-president of the Wyoming Association for Environmental Education. Several people who care about NCLI have written personal letters to the senator, and Sue has prepared an Op-ed on the issue for a local paper. WAEE was the first Wyoming coalition member, followed by a group of middle school students (the Global Warming Hero League) at the Jackson Middle School in Jackson, WY. Sue also presented at a gathering of churches, environmental groups, educators and others, which led to their voting to support NCLI and sending a strong joint letter indicating that support to Senator Enzi.
Another major Wyoming development was the formation of a new Natural Resource Education Advisory Board, which brings together higher education professors, scientists, award-winning public school teachers, environmentalists and others. They made the case to Senator Enzi that Wyoming’s natural resources are a critical part of the state’s economy, along with tourism, and supporting NCLI will provide the critical knowledge needed to preserve these two industries critical to the state’s economy.
This has been a great effort in Wyoming. Congratulations to Sue McGuire, the Wyoming Association for Environmental Education and all of our many supporters who are making a difference!
We would like to hear from other Coalition members. If you have activities planned around the NCLI movement, let us know. We’d also like to hear from you about schools successfully using outdoor education to improve student learning. We really want to share the good news.
The NCLI Coalition’s Long-Term Strategy
We have developed a long-term strategy to make sure the NCLI legislation language is included in the reauthorized NCLB. To do that, we will continue to:
* Secure cosponsors from as many members of Congress as possible representing states from all across the country.
* Work with states to begin developing environmental literacy plans.
* Broaden the Coalition to include groups with an interest in the outdoors and the environment, such as recreation, hunting, and fishing; faith-based organizations; businesses with an interest in environmental education or dependent on the outdoors to sell their products; public heath groups, especially those concerned with childhood obesity; and other medical organizations focused on kids’ health.
* Work with state elected officials to develop state legislation modeled after NCLI.
* Make environmental education truly a national movement.
As a backdrop to all of these efforts, we will continue to seek media coverage of NCLI and the broader issue of environmental education – both locally in key states and nationally.
Talk to One of Our Congressional Sponsors
Stay tuned for information coming soon about a conference call bringing together all members of our Coalition and one of our lead Congressional sponsors. Information will be coming soon.
If you have any questions about the Coalition’s work, please contact (aybarra@cbf.org ),
NCLI Coalition Grassroots Coordinator
