Blog
- access to greenspace (1)
- access to nature (3)
- action agenda (1)
- adolescence (1)
- adolescent pressures (1)
- advisory council (1)
- afterschool programming (1)
- afterschool programs (2)
- agricultural economies (1)
- agricultural education (1)
- air pollution (1)
- altruism (1)
- american camp association (1)
- american teenagers (1)
- aspen institute (1)
- barriers to access (1)
- barriers to recreation (1)
- bicycle ride across georgia (1)
- bikepacking (1)
- black history month (1)
- black kids adventures (1)
- blue sky funders forum (1)
- boatbuilding (1)
- brothers on the rise (1)
- brown girls climb (1)
- burnout (1)
- Camping & Education Foundation (1)
- career exploration (1)
- career path (1)
- center for american progress (1)
- center for digital thriving (1)
- center for healing and justice through sport (1)
- center for recreation education arts technology and enterprise (1)
- charles crenshaw (1)
- chicago (3)
- children & nature network (1)
- cincinnati (1)
- city planning (1)
- City Sailors (1)
- classroom resources (1)
- climate anxiety (1)
- climate change (4)
- climate change mitigation (1)
- climate solutions (1)
- coach training (1)
- community action (1)
- community connection (1)
- community organizations (1)
- community partners (1)
- community programming (1)
- community schools (1)
- community wellbeing (1)
- connection to nature (2)
- Conservation Leadership (1)
- conservation science partners (1)
- CREATE (1)
- cultural connection (1)
- dam removal (1)
- data analysis (1)
- decision making (1)
- developmental outcomes (1)
- diné we can (1)
- duke marine lab community science initiative (1)
- early childhood (1)
- eco-chaplains (1)
- ecological resilience (1)
- efficacy (1)
- environmental action (2)
- environmental advocacy (1)
- environmental education (1)
- Environmental Education (1)
- environmental ethic (1)
- environmental jobs (1)
- environmental justice (2)
- environmental leaders (1)
- environmental movement (2)
- environmental sector (1)
- equity outdoors (1)
- experiential education (1)
- experiential learning (1)
- extracurricular programs (1)
- extreme heat (1)
- Families in Nature (1)
- food production (1)
- foster care (1)
- fresh tracks (1)
- gardeneers (1)
- Get into nature (1)
- grantee support (1)
- green jobs (1)
- green schoolyards (1)
- greenspace access (1)
- hands on learning (1)
- harvard graduate school of education (1)
- hattie carthan (1)
- Heather Kuhlken (1)
- hispanic access foundation (1)
- history of camps (1)
- holistic grantmaking (1)
- holistic philanthropy (2)
- holistic youth development (1)
- human health disparities (1)
- hurricane helene (1)
- identity development (1)
- inclusive environments (1)
- indiana university lily family school of philanthropy (1)
- indigenous leadership (1)
- indigenous philanthropy (1)
- indigenous youth (1)
- Indigenous youth (1)
- informal learning sector (1)
- infrastructure funding (1)
- integrated resource networks (1)
- Intergenerational Programming (1)
- intergenerational recreation (1)
- job boards (1)
- john francis (1)
- justice outside (1)
- juvenile justice system (1)
- k-12 teachers (1)
- klamath river (1)
- laru beya collective (1)
- learn to sail (1)
- LGBTQ+ youth (1)
- local food systems (1)
- localogy (1)
- long distance cycling (1)
- lower brule wildlife (1)
- matthew henson (1)
- mental health crisis (1)
- mentorship (1)
- message testing (1)
- middle childhood (1)
- minneapolis (1)
- museum of the rockies (1)
- narrative hub (1)
- national academies of sciences engineering and medicine (1)
- National Recreation Foundation (2)
- national recreation foundation (2)
- native americans in philanthropy (1)
- natural disaster response (1)
- nature access (2)
- Nature Community (1)
- nature gap report (1)
- nature play (1)
- nature-based learning (1)
- nc state environmental education lab (1)
- nearby nature (4)
- nonprofit funding (1)
- nonprofit sector (1)
- north carolina (1)
- out of school time (2)
- out-of-school-time (1)
- outdoor access (2)
- outdoor afro (1)
- outdoor education (2)
- outdoor funders (1)
- outdoor grants (1)
- outdoor inclusion coalition (1)
- outdoor leadership (2)
- outdoor recreation (8)
- paddle tribal waters (1)
- peer mentorship (1)
- personal resilience (1)
- philanthropic funding (1)
- philanthropy (2)
- Place based learning (1)
- planet walkers (1)
- portland (1)
- positive youth development (5)
- pride month (1)
- program expansion (1)
- ready set resilience (1)
- reciprocal philanthropy (1)
- recreation access (1)
- recreaton research (1)
- refugee communities (1)
- refugee education and adventure challenge (1)
- research translation (1)
- responsible growth (1)
- rethink outside (1)
- ríos to rivers (1)
- river restoration (1)
- robert taylor (1)
- rue mapp (1)
- SailMaine (1)
- school farms (1)
- school gardens (1)
- school partnerships (1)
- scientific research (1)
- self care (2)
- she jumps (1)
- Sneaky Science (1)
- social emotional learning (1)
- social media (1)
- soul track outdoors (1)
- special grants (1)
- state of global air (1)
- storytelling (1)
- summer camp (1)
- summer camps (1)
- summer learning loss (1)
- supportive adults (1)
- teamwork (1)
- teen stress (1)
- test audiences (1)
- time in nature (2)
- tom's of maine (1)
- toms of maine (1)
- tree maintenance (1)
- tribal communities (1)
- trustee grants (1)
- turner foundation (1)
- university of michigan (1)
- urban agriculture (1)
- urban flooding (1)
- urban forestry (1)
- urban greenspace (1)
- urban tree planting (1)
- urban wilderness program (1)
- wallace foundation (1)
- warren washington (1)
- water sports (1)
- waterfront access (1)
- whitewater paddling (1)
- youth burnout (2)
- youth cycling (1)
- youth decision making (1)
- youth development (7)
- youth engagement (1)
- youth health outcomes (1)
- youth homelessness (1)
- youth interventions (1)
- youth leaders (1)
- youth mental health (5)
- youth mentorship (2)
- youth outdoor recreation (1)
- youth programs (2)
- youth recreation (5)
- youth recreation outcomes (1)
- youth seen (1)
- youth sports (2)
- youth voice (2)
- youth wellbeing (2)
- ywca (1)
Ready, Set, Resilience Offers Critical Support to Western NC
In September of last year, Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern U.S., causing significant destruction. One of the areas most affected was western North Carolina. Official estimates indicate that North Carolina suffered almost $60 billion worth of damage. This level of destruction was devastating in countless ways, but disruptions to education were especially damaging. Students from pre-K through college were out of school for weeks and in many cases returned to classes in trailers or other temporary structures. Students and teachers alike were displaced in the aftermath of the storm and are still working hard to rebuild their communities.
In response to Hurricane Helene, NRF issued a grant to support Ready, Set, Resilience, a holistic curriculum designed to help students better understand ecological resilience in the wake of disturbance and boost their own personal resilience along the way. The curriculum includes a book of nature-based fables that tell stories of resilience from the perspectives of plants and animals, a facilitation guide for somatic activities designed to help young people ground themselves, and a set of standards-aligned lesson plans that merge themes of resilience with language arts, science, and art.
Ready, Set, Resilience emerged out of a partnership between the Duke Marine Lab Community Science Initiative and the NC State Environmental Education Lab and was initially designed to help teachers in districts on the North Carolina coast following Hurricanes Florence and Dorian. When teachers from western North Carolina were looking for resources and support as they headed back to school in October and November of 2024, they reached out to teachers on the coast who had more experience with hurricanes. Those teachers knew that Ready, Set, Resilience had something valuable to offer. With the support of NRF and other funders, teachers, staff, and faculty working on the project were able to expand the curriculum to several new school districts in western North Carolina through free workshops. In some cases, teachers from the coast drove almost seven hours across the state to help facilitate Ready, Set, Resilience workshops and support teachers in the mountains as they prepared to go back to school.
Ready, Set, Resilience served almost fifty educators in western North Carolina through two workshops held at the end of 2024. A third workshop is planned for February 2025 to reach additional teachers. Attending a workshop is only the beginning of the relationship between a teacher and Ready, Set, Resilience. Teachers who incorporate the curriculum in their classrooms receive resources like books and project supplies, as well as ongoing support through check-ins and additional training opportunities. Critically, all teachers who participate in Ready, Set, Resilience are paid for their time and expertise as educators. Teachers work in partnership with faculty and staff from Duke and NC State to co-produce resources that support the needs and goals of their local schools and communities.
As storms increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change, young people need access to tools to develop resiliency. NRF was able to offer funding to a community-driven program at a critical time for North Carolina, and we’re proud to be part of the effort to boost resilience in the wake of natural disasters.