For the Love of Nature

 By Sheila Kinkade

As environmental activists, among them dozens of YouthActionNet Fellows, acknowledge Earth Day 2013 and its focus on climate change, the question remains: how do you fundamentally transform human attitudes and behaviors toward the natural world on which we depend for survival and, many would argue, the sustenance of the human spirit? While scientific data related to climate change abounds, research demonstrates that it’s emotions that prompt us to take action, and that appeals to both head and heart are apt to be most effective. 

A spate of recent books underscores the profound connection between humans and nature; a connection that’s under threat by growing urbanization, time spent indoors, and the overwhelming influence of technology on our lives. In Birthright: People, Nature, and the Modern World, Dr. Stephen Kellert cites data showing just how far away from nature the current generation of American children has become. In 2010, children spent an average of 52 hours per week engaged with electronic media as contrasted to the 40 minutes they spend weekly in nature today. Just when we need to be preparing children for their roles as stewards of an endangered environment, the opposite may hold true. Kellert elaborates on humans’ inherent connection to nature and its contribution to our “capacities to feel, reason, think, master complexity, discover, create, heal, and be healthy.” 

If time spent in nature contributes to greater empathy for the environment, lack of exposure may contribute to apathy when it comes to altering lifestyles. Eva Selhub, MD and Alan Logan, authors of Your Brain on Nature, point to the challenge of mobilizing people to take environmental action when ties to the natural world are tenuous. “Our turn away from nature is associated with less empathy and attraction to nature, and in turn, less interest in environmental efforts,” they write. 

An EduCREA participant feeds a manatee 

How do you foster that emotional connection? For Laureate Global Fellow Cristian Vélez Ramirez, founder of EduCREA in Peru, it begins with introducing children to the wonders of nature in the Amazon and, in particular, to the plight of the endangered manatee. EduCREA has developed a variety of interactive, educational games that immerse children in nature. The children laugh, play, and explore their natural surroundings. In one exercise, they’re encouraged to spend time listening to the sounds of nature and then report back what they heard.

Says Cristian, “We don’t want to be alarmist. We don't want children to be so scared they don’t feel they can make change. We want them to understand that each of us can make a change in our environment.” 

In 2012, EduCREA reached more than 15,000 people with its conservation message, creating what Cristian and his colleagues hope will be a lifelong connection between children and nature. Watch a video interview with Cristian. 

Similarly in India, Fellow Arun Krishnamurthy, founder of the Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI), mobilizes young people, ages 11 to 17, to play an active role in wildlife conservation and habitat restoration. Its activities include lake restoration efforts in urban areas, biodiversity parks in schools, and camps that empower youth with environmental leadership skills. Through documentary films, street theater, dance, and music, EFI makes learning about the environment both educational and fun. It also leverages the power of social media to engage a network of hundreds of committed volunteers in weekly activities. As clearly articulated in its mission statement, EFI “strives to create a planet where the environment is not only taken care of, but loved.” Could love be a missing ingredient in today’s environmental advocacy efforts? View a video of Arun. 

In their newly-published book, The Rediscovery of the Wild, editors Peter Kahn and Patricia Hasbach call for the “re-wilding” of the human species. With technology consuming increasing amounts of our time, it’s more important than ever to reconnect to our primal selves as expressed in wild nature, they write. 

With this in mind, on Earth Day 2013 perhaps the best medicine we can take is a walk on the wild side, reaffirming our commitment to nature – not just for one day but every day – and sharing that commitment with others. 

To learn more about other YouthActionNet Fellows around the globe and their environmental innovations, visit www.youthactionnet.org.

Tolu Sangosanya Makes LOTS Happen

By Lisa Jones

I will never forget the moment I met Tolu at the Laureate Global Fellowship Retreat last fall in Istanbul, Turkey. She didn't hesitate to confide in me that it was her first time traveling outside of Nigeria, but with her well-placed self-assurance and beaming smile, I did not see a timid first-time traveler. I saw a confident woman who won't rest until she is certain that the six and seven-year-olds she knows today will be Nigeria's future leaders--not its street population.

Through LOTS Charity Foundation, Tolu works with vulnerable children living in the Dustbin Estate--a slum community on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria--to provide an atmosphere conducive to the learning, health, and overall happiness of each child. Following Tolu on Facebook means having a news feed abound with photos of smiling children and their families on each holiday, enjoying parties and gifts--laundry baskets stuffed full of daily necessities and special treats. Aside from fun and games, LOTS intervenes in several important aspects of a child's life to keep him or her off the street. Classes focused on literacy, financial management, reproductive health, and computer usage are offered, along with one guaranteed meal per day.

Tolu says in the video below:

I don't think any child will listen in class if he's hungry, I don't think a sick child will want to be educated, so we need to care for each piece of the child to make him whole.

Through LOTS, Tolu and her team make it possible for children to dream big and feel empowered to pursue an education that will allow those aspirations to be more than dreams. To me, Tolu is an inspiration. To her community, she is the "Angel of Dustinbin Estate." Learn more at www.lotscharityfoundation.org.

Top 5 Business Plan Myths

By Lisa Jones

Many social entrepreneurs have preconceived notions about business plans that they use to justify not having one. During our annual fellowship retreat, we sometimes hear young leaders echo similar sentiments: “I thrive on creativity and designing programs, but I began my initiative knowing nothing about business.” Though they may dread the process, it isn’t long before they discover the need for a business plan that exists somewhere other than their heads.

If approached with an open mind, designing a business plan can be an intensely creative process—it forces a leader to document his or her dreams as well as a pragmatic plan of action. Whether you are a business pro using your profit-making venture for social good, or an idealist who prefers team retreats over spreadsheets, creating a business plan should be a reflective and challenging task that gives you confidence in your organization’s future. 

To begin building your plan, first consider the following myths about business plans:

1.   They are only needed when submitting funding proposals: 

Since business plans are often required in funding proposals, some people have come to know them as high-pressure sales pitches spanning 40 or more pages—assembled in a scramble to meet a submission deadline. While a business plan can be an important aspect of a funding proposal, your organization will arguably benefit much more from the business plan if it is used to guide the organization, not just sell it. Every day you and your staff choose to invest in your organization—use the business plan to instill confidence that you are achieving your goals and spending money wisely.  

2.   They are just for startups: 

Did you draft a business plan when determining whether your innovative idea could be your new full-time job? Probably. Did you track your progress on that business plan, updating it as your project matured and shifted? If not, consider the value of using your business plan as a living document that evolves and grows along with your project. Periodically re-visiting your plan allows you to ensure you have the necessary staff hired to meet changing needs, the infrastructure to manage new funding streams, and the documentation to minimize the impact of CEO transitions. If the master plan is in the head of a departing CEO, how will the organization fare without him? Learn more about why business plans aren’t just for startups. 

3.   They discourage flexibility: 

Did having a city map ever discourage you from wandering down an interesting side street?  Business plans are simply the maps that guide your organization. They should be rigid enough to cause you to question whether a new activity contributes to your core mission, but flexible enough to encourage innovation and exploration of new opportunities. Like a trusty map, business plans are meant to have pencil-ins and eraser marks, all while remaining useful to consult when facing an organizational crossroad. Learn how to keep your plan flexible.  

4.   They require specific formatting & expensive software: 

While some funders require specific business plan formats, the one you develop for your own organization should be dictated by how you plan to use it. Make a list of 2-3 situations in which you would consult your business plan. Build the plan’s framework with those end-goals in mind. While a solo venture could skip the “people” section, a volunteer-based organization may want to comprehensively document their human capital.  Try starting with this free business plan model and adjusting it to suit your needs.

5.   There is too much uncertainty to make a plan: 

Social entrepreneurs are often risk-takers. There is an inherent level of uncertainty with their ventures. This is why it’s important to not spend too much time perfecting a plan before acting on it—you may never get started! A great business plan will include a contingency section that incorporates areas of uncertainty into the overall strategy of the organization. Knowing what “Plan B” is if you don’t receive that grant you were planning for can take the anxiety away from the uncertainties social ventures face.   

If this article was helpful, be sure to “like” the YouthActionNet Facebook page to stay informed of more learning opportunities for you and your organization. 

Online Books Open Up New World for Children with Autism

By Lisa Jones 

Research suggests that 1 out of every 150 children fit the broad definition of autism. ⁽¹⁾ What better day than today, World Autism Awareness Day, to take a step towards better understanding the lives and learning styles of the millions of individuals around the world living with autism?

Autism receives less than five percent of the research funding of many less-prevalent childhood diseases ⁽²⁾, which is why raising awareness of and funding for efforts to treat the disease is critical. In Spain, 2012 Laureate Global Fellow Miriam Reyes Olivia not only raises awareness of autism but provides tools for autistic children and their families to experience the joys of reading and learning. Through her organization Apprendices Visuales, Miriam works with experts—from psychologists to illustrators—to design pictogram books that autistic children understand, because they are apprendices visuales—visual learners. 

On average, autism costs a family $60,000 a year. ⁽³⁾ Knowing first-hand the financial burden that autism places on a family, Miriam makes the books available at no cost to families in need. She imagines a world where every autistic child has access to books that make learning not only possible, but a joyful experience.

In the video below, Miriam explains her inspiration for this work and her aspirations for the future. If you are inspired by Miriam and want to join in celebrating World Autism Awareness Day, share this article with #WAAD on Twitter or learn more about autism.  

^(1,2,3) www.autismspeaks.org