Mary Hardcastle sent a personal narrative of her perceptions of the first Greater Baltimore
Children & Nature Conference which took place
Wednesday, February 20, 2008.
Thank you for sending this in Mary. :)
This is the first conference
of its kind in Baltimore, so I don’t know what to expect. Our amazing steering committee reached out across
all sectors--education, health, environment, government, business, faith, the
arts-- wondering if Baltimore leaders would want to gather and discuss this
topic of reconnecting children and nature.
It’s 8:50 AM and people are
streaming into the Waldorf School’s multi-purpose auditorium. Attendees giggle
as they visit a large city map, discover the watershed
they work in, then sit
at the appropriately labeled table-- Gwynns Falls, Jones Falls, Inner Harbor,
Herring Run, a different way of thinking about community.
9 AM and the 18 round tables
are filled—180 capacity. The feeling of anticipation is palpable. I look out at
this gathering and note the green patch of color on each table, a handmade centerpiece
of a child’s hand with real grass growing in the palm. Artist Doug Retzler’s
beautiful silk banners stenciled with nature images drape from a thick vine
hanging across the stage above my head. I look out through the large auditorium
windows, nod to Mother Nature and smile.
And then the whirlwind begins
– a welcome, a thank you to sponsors, remarks delivered by
Assistant Deputy
Mayor Tom Stosur, head of Baltimore’s new Office of Sustainability.
Next, we
introduce the topic by showing two short videos, one produced by Hooked On
Nature and another created by urban teens who had gathered a month ago to have
a conversation about their connections with nature. Ah, already something is
happening. These teens have powerful things to say—environment? Nature? Yeah,
it’s important, but it’s hard to think about nature when there’s a lot of other
unsafe stuff going on outside. Nature and issues of Environmental Justice.
Then Akiima takes the stage
and the room is filled with her exuberance!
Akiima
Price, Keynote
Speaker, laughing, strong, committed, real, caring, effective, loving, a woman
who shares her journey from D.C. environmental advocacy to Bette Midler’s New
York Restoration Project, always fostering relationships that lead to
people reconnecting with the natural
world and each other. Solutions? She’s got ‘em.
Next, six adult leaders become
a formidable panel, talking about how their organizations connect youth to
nature. Hey, did you know all of these positive things were happening? Where’s
the media? Where are the news stories about kids who are hooked on nature
instead of electronics? And by the way, this panel has a diversity of
voices—age, gender, culture, perspectives. “Refreshing” is the word that comes
to mind. [Panel was sponsored by REI, Inc. Thanks. :) ]
Catching my breath, I jump
on stage to introduce a powerhouse of presentations from Karen Kelly Mullin from
the Maryland Association of Environmental Outdoor Education talking about
schoolyard habitats followed by 3 impressive programs presented by Parks and
People Foundation’s Mary Washington, Monica Logan and Kari Smith.
Okay, Break!—as in quick
break for coffee and a snack because we need to TALK as in Breakout Session #1
– 18 round tables with 8-10 people and a facilitator asking “How do we connect
kids to nature in our Baltimore City communities?” I watch and listen as the
room becomes instantly filled with the hum
of voices. My husband walked into
the auditorium about that time and told me later that the energy level was “unbelievable.”
Lunch – Carma of Carma’s
Café had already provided a wonderful pre-conference breakfast, a tasty snack
and now a ”wow” lunch--delicious sandwiches, salad, fruit, cookies. Toward the
end of the lunch hour, Cindy Etgen from the Department of Natural Resources offers a funding presentation—or “show me the money!” P.S. we can also remember
that nature is free-- right outside the window, up in the sky, in the air, in
each one of us, everyday.
1:00 PM. Huh? A Children & Nature Conference with
children? The teen panel very coolly makes their way to the stage and promptly
performs the sweetest skit about 3 young males putting their video game aside to
check out Mother Nature and a couple of natural females outdoors. 
Then the
teens get serious –screening a video called BLUE LIGHTS produced by a couple of
the panel members who are part of a nonprofit program called Wide Angle Youth
Media. We also hear the teen
panelists express a desire to have more freedom, more places to play and feel
safe. Not structured, not educational, just free. So these are the youth of
Kids on the Hill, Holistic Life Foundation, Waldorf School and Wide Angle Youth
Media. Does the audience respond? “Where can we get the film?” “How can we
create more safe, fun and free access for kids?” “Would you come and talk to
our group?” The teen panel could be very busy in the next few months…
The directors of the Holistic Life Foundation, two
brothers and a friend who went to college together and
decided they had a mission-- 
to work with young people who live in the
neighborhoods surrounding Druid Hill Park. They are environmental
educators, yoga instructors, musicians, super all
around hip guys who talk the talk and walk the walk. They foster stewardship
for a better city and planet. Introducing Ali Smith, Atman
Smith, and Andres Gonzalez.
Hard acts to follow, but Joan Almon, chair of Alliance for Childhood, gives
us a wonderful follow up—perfect, actually, because the mission of the Alliance
is to promote unstructured play indoors and outdoors. She outlines how a loss
of playtime, and a new tendency to over structure our children’s lives, is
harming normal healthy development. Joan is convincing and engaging, and even
when a technical glitch prevents her from showing a clip from the brand new
“Where Do the Children Play” film being launched on PBS in April, she uses the
glitch as an opportunity to expand on possibilities and solutions.
Next up, Tim Almaguer from Friends of Patterson Park, gives us
the colorful history of one of Baltimore’s largest city parks and how the
community came together to revitalize it during the 1990’s. It is now a place of recreation and restoration
for the Highlandtown community, one of the most vibrant and culturally mixed
neighborhoods in Baltimore. Tekla Ayers
follows Tim with a presentation of how the National Audubon Society at
Patterson Park provides numerous nature experiences for neighborhood children.
And has anybody glanced out
the window lately? Large, lovely snowflakes are falling FAST, and yet,
conference participants are staying-- but hey, these are nature lovers right?
On the other hand, we want people to be
safe—so we fore go another breakout session and switch to NEXT STEPS. We invite
everyone to join a Baltimore Leave No Child Inside Campaign, we show a website
where people can sign on and become part of a national movement to create
Children In Nature Communities, and we promise to act on at least one new idea.
I am, by now, feeling
totally overwhelmed by feelings of elation, exhaustion and not a small amount
of hope that people are leaving this conference having had some powerful
experiences—new connections, new perspectives, new possibilities. I walk out
into the crisp, winter air and look up into falling snow--free, abundant,
beautiful! I feel the kiss of an icy snowflake on my lips and I hug myself. I
am nature. We are nature. If we can connect, there is hope.
If you would like to learn more about the Baltimore Leave No Child Inside Campaign you can write Mary Hardcastle at mary@hookedonnature.org
All photos by Douglas Retzler. Thanks Doug. :)
C&NN has designated April "Children & Nature Awareness Month." As
part of this effort, we'll be publishing an online guide to regional
events for April, with suggestions from network members (like you) on
how to build public awareness of the issue and create solutions.
