Our parents, staff and supporters are finding these media resources helpful for understanding the challenges facing young people in their embrace of nature and the world around them.
In this groundbreaking work, child advocacy expert Richard Louv spotlights the alienation of children from the natural world, coining the term nature-deficit disorder and linking it to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as rises in obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and depression.
Some startling facts: By the 1990s the radius around the home where children were allowed to roam on their own had shrunk to a ninth of what it had been in 1970. Today, average eight-year-olds are better able to identify cartoon characters than native species, such as beetles and oak trees, in their own community. The rate at which doctors prescribe mood regulating medications to children has increased, and recent studies show that too much computer use spells trouble for the developing mind.
In this stark analysis of the impact of screen-based lives, Jonathan Haidt issues a call to action for parents and society. The book quickly became a New York Times #1 bestseller.
In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood” began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood” in the early 2010s.
Engage, Connect, Protect explodes the myth that environmental issues are primarily of interest to wealthy White communities.
Revealing the deep and abiding interest that African American, Latino, and Native American communities – many of whom live in degraded and polluted parts of the country – have in our collective environment, Engage, Connect, Protect is part eye-opening critique of the cultural divide in environmentalism, part biography of a leading social entrepreneur, and part practical toolkit for engaging diverse youth. It covers:
- Why communities of color are largely unrecognized in the environmental movement
- How to bridge the cultural divide and activate a new generation of environmental stewards
- A curriculum for engaging diverse youth and young adults through culturally appropriate methods and activities
- Resources for connecting mainstream America to organizations working with diverse youth within environmental projects, training, and employment
In 2013, the first all-African American team of climbers, sponsored by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), challenged themselves on North America’s highest point, the dangerous and forbidding Denali, in Alaska. Mills uses Expedition Denali and its team members’ adventures as a jumping-off point to explore how minority populations view their place in wild environments and to share the stories of those who have already achieved significant accomplishments in outdoor adventures… The goal of the expedition, and now the book, is to inspire minority communities to look outdoors for experiences that will enrich their lives, and to encourage them toward greater environmental stewardship.
Way Out There is an account of J. Robert Harris’s extraordinary exploits while backpacking in some of the world’s most tantalizing places―largely alone and unsupported. And after almost fifty years of wilderness travel, “J.R.,” as he’s known, has plenty of tales to tell! His stories are by turns funny, tragic, and uplifting, and are all told in his down‐to‐earth, friendly storytelling style.
On the brink of a critical moment in human history, this audiobook presents a vision of “planetary stewardship” – a rethinking of our relationship with our planet – and plots a new course for our future.
The authors, whose work is the subject of a new Netflix documentary released in summer 2021 and narrated by Sir David Attenborough, reveal the full scale of the planetary emergency we face – but also how we can stabilize Earth’s life support system.
The necessary change is within our power if we act now.
Often compared to Thoreau’s Walden, Desert Solitaire is a powerful discussion of life’s mysteries set against the stirring backdrop of the American southwestern wilderness. As relevant today as it was when it was published in 1968.
Jane Goodall continues to leave the modern world with an extraordinary legacy and has changed the scientific community forever. A girl of humble beginnings and training, she made scientific breakthroughs thought impossible by more experienced field observers when she was only in her twenties. Then these animals shaped Jane’s life. She began tirelessly fighting to protect the environment so that chimpanzees and other animals will continue have a place and a future on our planet. Read a recent interview here, to see Dr. Goodall’s continuing affection for the natural world.
Young People’s Books
Grandad is the boy’s best friend. Being with him always makes the world seem right. And how vast that world is: a world of tall trees that reach for the clouds and sun and moon and stars — and what else is reaching for heaven but a prayer? Each time he and Grandad walk in the woods, the boy listens for the prayers of the earth. And finally the boy asks: “Are our prayers answered?”
The Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the Earth. The great American Indian Chief Seattle spoke these words over a hundred years ago. His remarkably relevant message of respect for the Earth and every creature on it has endured the test of time and is imbued with passion born of love of the land and the environment.
The author of such delights as The Christmas Ark and The Enchanted Tapestry joins forces with illustrator Pinkney to resurrect a colorful folktale that captures the unique flavor of the American South. A 1989 Caldecott Honor Book.
Documentary
Growing up in Atlanta can be hard as highlighted by three real-life protagonists in That’s Wild. Clifford (16) tries to fill the void of his incarcerated father, Ahmani (13) struggles with the aftermath of a homeless childhood, and Nicholas (13) grapples with episodes of depression.
When the boys sign up for the after-school program, Wilderness Works, they quickly begin to unpack the negative pressures that dominate their day-to-day lives. An adventurous backpacking summer trip in the heart of the Colorado wilderness, takes these teenagers through rapid rivers, high-altitudes and 12,000 ft snow capped peaks, all while overcoming their own personal mountains.