our why

The World Wildlife Fund reports a nearly 70% decline in vertebrate wildlife since 1970. The scope of loss and what individuals and their communities can do to conserve nature is poorly understood, especially in communities with limited access to formal education. Communities, like those we work with, are often disproportionately impacted by biodiversity loss and climate change because they depend on local water, wood, and wildlife for survival. These frontline communities are increasingly experiencing food and water shortages, as well as extreme weather that increases their vulnerability. 

To help conserve nature and empower youth to protect their local natural resources, we have engaged in several environmental education and conservation efforts.  

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WITH

THE CHILDREN'S ETERNAL RAINFOREST

In Costa Rica, we partner with the Monteverde Conservation League, a community organization that conserves the Children’s Eternal Rainforest (CER). This area was initially protected by Quaker residents and then greatly expanded through the efforts of school children, from over 40 nations, who collected spare change in the late 1980s. Today, the community conserves and protects over 50,000 acres of highly biodiverse forest in one of the largest community managed rainforests in Central America. You can learn more about the Children’s Eternal Rainforest here.
 


Engage supports environmental education programs at the CER including:

• field trips for students from seventeen local schools to visit the forest and learn about conservation​
• reforestation efforts including the growing and planting of native plants and trees
• creation of the Club Ambiental para Niñas (CAN), an environmental club for girls in late primary school, to help inspire them to continue to study environmental issues in high school and to become conservation stewards 
• youth empowerment projects through art, literacy, and cultural activities that encourage students to share what the environment and conservation means to them 

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND

TREE PLANTING IN GHANA

In rural communities where people live at or near the global poverty line, education about environmental issues is rare. We are working with our local partners in rural Ghana to create a model for engaging youth in environmental conservation.

Our efforts include:

• Designing a variety of environmental education activities as part of a place-based, culturally rich curriculum for our community learning centers. 
• Providing environmentally themed books for literacy education in our community learning centers and as part of the first library created in the region.
• School gardens and tree planting projects. Through these outdoor education activities, children learn about sustainable farming and how to care for trees long-term. 
• In 2018, we were able to take a small group of our youth education students to Mole National Park to see elephants and other wildlife. This was a unique experience as the park is typically visited only by tourists and none of the students had ever been outside of their village communities before the trip. We are seeking funding to continue this program. 

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environmental education and

sustainability resources

In addition to our environmental education programming and tree planting in rural Northern Ghana, we offer a variety of educational resources on conservation and sustainable development, including:
​

• Guest talks and classes on sustainable development and conservation topics
• Environmental education activities for kids and families like wildlife bingo
• Resource lists on environmental justice, equity, diversity and inclusion
• Mentoring and professional development in environmental fields
• Design of environmental conservation curriculum for schools, nonprofits, and families
• Sustainability blogs, social media, and other virtual publications
• Internship and volunteer programs in environmental education, conservation, and EDI

Please email us at engage@engageglobally.org for more information or to request a guest talk.