“What does this place mean to you?”
It’s a powerful question, rooted deep within ourselves and our feelings surrounding it. When you think about a favorite place, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Perhaps you remember a stretch of stream where your grandfather used to take you fishing. Maybe a sparkling pool and sugary sweet memories of funnel cakes and fair rides brings forward passing memories of summertime youth in your hometown. Or perhaps it’s the smell of turning over the soil in the community garden.
When we think of places that may hold meaning to us, we often engage our memories, senses and feelings regarding the place.
The way we feel about a place can be good, bad, or neutral. Regardless of their context, our feelings, experiences and memories often decide how we feel about a place and determine how we interact with it. This represents our bond and attachment to a specific location or place. These attachments and bonds determine what is referred to in many outdoor education pedagogy as a sense of place. Sense of place is powerful; it fosters a connection between ourselves and the world around us, propelling us to act and care for the places we care about the most.
Developing and fostering a sense of place is at the heart of outdoor learning. With generous support from the Bill Rowles Youth Foundation and the Ohio Environmental Education Fund, the Conservancy held a 2-day Outdoor Learning K-12 Educator Retreat on August 8th & 9th at the Conservancy’s Homestead. Joining us under the bright summer sun, teachers from all different backgrounds learned more about what it means to bring education to the outdoors and foster a sense of curiosity to look more closely at the world around them. By empowering local teachers with a robust toolkit and support system, we are striving not only to foster a sense of place within their students, but also the teachers themselves.
Educators that care for the land and feel empowered to teach their students to do the same are critical for conservation efforts. Teachers help usher in the new generation as they learn how to navigate the world around them. By supporting our teachers and providing the tools they need with programs like Learning Landscapes, we are playing an active part in fostering our next generation of land stewards, scientists, environmental educators, policymakers and beyond.
This workshop served as a foundation for the path the Conservancy has just begun to create. Much like any work that goes into conservation, education takes time to build. It is a labor of patience, creativity and most importantly, trust. This workshop may be one of the first steps in building those needed relationships, but just as the first steps of a child, it has made a lasting impact on our teachers. “This has been the most powerful training that I have ever been a part of in 30 years of teaching,” said one participant.
A community isn’t built in a day, a true sense of place isn’t developed in an hour. With your continued support, we are building a sturdy path for everyone to walk on as they set out on their journey to learn about the world around them.
Interested in learning more about Learning Landscapes? Visit our page to learn more!
Know a graduating high school senior? We’re excited to announce to the Dr. Donald R. Knepper Memorial Scholarship! Learn more and how to apply by visiting our education page.
