2023 Theme and Strands | NAAEE Conference

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2023 Conference Strands (2024 Coming Soon)

Advancing Civic Engagement and Sustainable Communities

Creating sustainable, equitable, and resilient communities through partnership building, civic engagement, personal decision making, systems thinking, connecting community and environment, and understanding historical impacts on communities of color

Sessions appropriate to this strand address such topics as:

Education and civic engagement to address climate change and build more resilient communities
Grassroots partnerships for community improvement; characteristics of successful community action projects
Achieving environmental integrity, social equity, environmental justice, and economic prosperity through education and authentic engagement of all communities
The role of environmental education in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Incorporating culturally rooted practices into our work and understanding how people from different backgrounds relate to, engage with, and care about the environment in urban, suburban, and rural communities
Strategies, tools, and training for addressing controversial issues and finding common ground

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Conservation and Environmental Education

Achieving conservation goals through education, communication, social marketing, and ecotourism strategies, including public participation in scientific research and place-based community action

Sessions appropriate to this strand address such topics as:

Integrating education strategies into the broader practice of conservation
Increasing equity and inclusion in the conservation movement
Current research and case studies on behavior change as it relates to conservation education
Successful collaborations between conservation educators, scientists, resource managers, and practitioners in all formal and nonformal education settings, from rural to suburban to urban, as well as wild spaces, public lands, and beyond
Successful tools, approaches, and educator preparation for bringing community-based science to classrooms and community improvement projects
Education strategies for addressing specific issues such as climate change, habitat loss, energy, water, ocean conservation, and food systems

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Green Schools, Universities, and Vocational Institutions

Using environmental education to transform education, enhance student achievement, prepare students for green careers, conserve resources, support national and international education trends, link schools and communities, and build support for environmental education in formal education

Sessions appropriate to this strand address such topics as:

Green Schools as a pathway to service learning, student leadership, civic engagement, outdoor learning, and other effective education practices
Exemplary initiatives for greening the campus and the curriculum, including school learning gardens and landscapes, facilities management practices, district and administrative commitments, and student involvement
Advancing the Green Schools movement worldwide, including Green Ribbon and other recognition programs
School-community partnerships that support and promote project-based learning and civic engagement
Integrating EE into preservice teacher preparation and in-service professional development
Preparing a workforce with vocational skills for green careers

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Connecting with Nature

Cultivating partnerships and providing accessible outdoor education experiences that connect people of all ages and backgrounds to nature

Sessions appropriate to this strand address such topics as:

Early childhood environmental education and nature preschools
Developing outdoor programs that are inclusive, relevant, and provide equitable access for all
The restorative power of nature during challenging times
Creating and using parks and other green learning spaces in urban, suburban, and rural areas
Outdoor programs that promote physical or spiritual health and wellness and that build a sense of place and cultural relevancy in urban, suburban, and rural communities
Using the arts to explore people’s connections to nature

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Linking Research and Practice to Increase Impact

Using research to inform how we design, develop, refine, and promote environmental education programs for maximum effectiveness, and using practice to inform research

Sessions appropriate to this strand address such topics as:

Cutting-edge research that is important and relevant to all environmental educators
Connecting research and practice; applying what we know to what we do
Strategies for evaluating and improving environmental education programs, including culturally responsive evaluation
Developing shared outcomes that allow us to better measure our collective impact and using research results to influence decision makers and demonstrate the value of EE
Research and case studies about the benefits and challenges of learning and teaching in outdoor settings and in a culturally relevant context
What the pandemic has taught us about virtual learning and engagement

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Building Leadership for Environmental Literacy

Strategies for building leadership and infrastructure to advance EE at the state, provincial, national, and global levels, and for motivating the public to take informed actions to protect the environment and address social and economic disparities

Sessions appropriate to this strand provide training in such areas as:

Creating a more inclusive, equitable, and accessible field
Strengthening organizations that deliver and coordinate EE, especially on the local, state, provincial, and regional levels
Cultivating and supporting leadership in EE
Building our capacity to deliver effective, relevant environmental education with and for our diverse audiences
Leading efforts to link environmental education and civic engagement
Setting, achieving, and maintaining professional standards of excellence

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