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ELK KIDS: LEARNING THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENT

ELK KIDS: LEARNING THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENT

Big cities provide us humans with a comprehensive range of amenities. And technology makes it possible for us to conduct real-time video calls with friends, colleagues and co-workers on the other side of the world. It might sound like some kind of utopia, but the digitalization and urbanization of modern life also has its downsides. It’s easy to become disconnected from our roots, from nature, from the real world. Children from underprivileged backgrounds are particularly at risk. Which is why, 25 years ago, two wildlife biologists, Scott and Stacie Gilmore, set up the organization Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK). ELK's goal is to give socially disadvantaged children and young people a new social and individual perspective through inspirational outdoor learning programs. In this way, each participant can become a small sapling that makes a valuable contribution to their communities.

“I don’t know what would have become of me if my friends hadn’t told me about the ELK program”, according to many of the ELK kids. “I’d probably have done something stupid or gone off the rails.” And that’s exactly what ELK is trying to prevent. ELK serves more than 5,000 underprivileged, urban youths (aged 5-25) each year in Colorado. Year-round intensive programs and in-school/after-school courses are designed to help children who are falling behind in the traditional education system to reconnect with learning and find their way into science and science-related careers. ELK also supports these young people in developing strong values that both they and their communities will benefit from. Environmental learning and increasing knowledge about the natural world play a key role in this.

There is nothing new about holistic learning and development through nature.

For thousands of years, it was the forests, streams, fields, meadows and gardens that were a child’s main habitat, when not indoors. It’s where they played with soil, rocks, sticks, with dogs and cats and other animals. Children basically grew up in nature. But these days, very little time is spent outdoors – and more often than not it is spent sitting in front of a screen, indoors. Humans have lived in, with and from nature throughout most of our history, so experiencing nature is a basic necessity for healthy development. It’s a philosophy that complements deuter's ‘360° Responsibility’ initiatives.

ELK represents a departure from classroom teaching and having to ‘sit still and listen’. By using targeted outdoor activities, academic and scientific abilities and skills are strengthened. Tailored to different age groups, there are ELK programs for children, adolescents and families. The programs include lectures and seminars as well as multi-day backpacking trips, bivouacking under the stars, skiing courses, learning about fishing or the fundamentals of water ecosystems. The program is also supplemented with courses on how to present yourself well, how to write a résumé and career counseling. ELK’s vision is a world in which all people are caretakers of themselves, each other and the natural world. Environmental Learning for Kids helps children and adolescents become engaged citizens. It’s a vision we wholeheartedly endorse.

Find out more about ELK at:

ELK-Kids