LEAVE NO NEW MEXICO CHILD LEFT INSIDE

a working website of New Mexico's Outdoor Education Initiative

Welcome to this resource for organizations WORKING TOGETHER to get NEW MEXICO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES OUTDOORS.

Working Definition

Outdoor education is an interdisciplinary, life-long learning process that increases awareness of the environment. Through hands-on experiences in real world settings, outdoor education encourages information gathering, allows for a range of perspectives, and develops critical thinking skills. This strengthens the workforce, builds civic responsibility, and increases New Mexico communities’ connection to their natural and cultural heritage. Comment on the working definition

Our Vision - To increase the effectiveness and scope of outdoor education throughout the state. The ultimate goal of this effort is to increase New Mexicans’ health, happiness, and appreciation for nature; and to enable them to make wiser, informed decisions about land use, pollution, and other environmental issues. Comment on the vision statement.

See also: Goals, Benefits, Structure, and Next Steps

Task Forces - Join a task force and help get every child outside!

• Legislation - Get involved in advocating for policies that enhance Funding & Programs for Getting Youth and Families Outdoors: politicians, classroom teachers, administrators, lawyers, interested citizens, pueblo community members
• Organizing - we need 3 additional members including: classroom teachers from all subject areas and grade levels, pueblo community members
• Outreach and Promotion- we need 4 additional members including: classroom teachers, pueblo community members, public relations assistance & graphic design help
• Database and Clearinghouse - we need 3 additional members including: classroom teachers from all subject areas and grade levels, web designers
• Curriculum - we need 5 additional members including: elementary, middle & high school, college teachers, parents, pueblo community members

Participating Organizations

• Click to see who is involved both locally and regionally!

Promotional Flyer

• SPREAD the WORD ~ just click below, print and cut in half to hand out to: teachers, environmental educators, outdoor associations, and community members at festivals, events, or in classrooms... anywhere!
• outdooreducation_flyer_(2).pdf: No Child Left Inside promo flyer

Upcoming Meetings

Meetings to move the initiative efforts forward will be held at these events as workshop topics or side meetings. * Watershed Education Network Conference, June 2007 * Please visit the above task force pages, for more information on task force meetings!

Meeting Chronology

Click on links to see summary notes from past meetings and download complete notes:

• Watershed Education Network Working Session, March 3-4, 2006
• Pueblo and Environmental Education Partnerships: WEN Meeting at Santo Domingo, Pueblo June 27, 2006
• Outdoor Education Meeting at Museum of Natural History and Science, August 4, 2006
• Future of Outdoor Education Meeting at Audubon Center, September 19, 2006
• Quivira Coalition Conference, January 18-20, 2007

Download "Framing and Effective Communications" by John Fogarty

Presented at the Watershed Education Conference on May 16, 2007. This is a 1.75 MB PDF file. You can also look at the shorter text version in a MS Word file. * Watershed_Education_Network_-_May_07_small.pdf: Framing and Effective Communication presentation by John Fogarty * Framing_and_Effective_Communications_Summary.doc: Summary of John Fogarty's talk on Framing

OUTDOOR EDUCATION FUNDING APPROVED BY THE 2007 LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR RICHARDSON GOES TO STATE PARKS AND PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

*Governor Richardson approved funding for the Outdoor Classroom Initiative along with the state legislature thanks to supporters of outdoor education. The funding of $270,000 will go to the Public Education Department to provide resources for teacher training, transportation, and curriculum materials. Funding was secured with support from Senator Cynthia Nava (Dona Ana). Additionally, Representative Jeff Steinborn (Dona Ana) appropriated $20,000 from his Junior monies towards the Outdoor Classroom Program.

Model Initiatives from Other States

• EnvironmentalEducationStandards

Current Discussions

• Research on the benefits of outdoor education.
• GeneralDiscussion - add your comments and ideas about the initiative

Browse Content by Topic Classification

Browse by:

• TopicType - Topics groups by use. * Discussion Topic - General discussion topics related to the Outdoor web. * Meeting Note - Notes on meetings * Reference Topic - Topics for storing reference information * Task Force - Working groups on different areas of interest.
• SubjectArea - Topics grouped by subject. * General Matter - Catch-all SubjectArea.