Raising Children With Connections to Nature: Facing Nature Deficit Disorder

Richard Louv's landmark 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, made tidal waves among parents and educators, and sparked an international renaissance of the environmental education movement, with a new rallying cry of "leave no child inside!"

At Wilderness Awareness School, we believe our mission and programs represent part of the "cure" for nature deficit disorder, and therefore organized an evening round table discussion on the topic on January 8, 2007 at Seattle REI. You can see a 30-minute Google video with highlights from the 2-hour discussion by clicking below.

The event was attended by over 100 people, and featured 7 representatives (see their biographies below) from leading local organizations which strive to provide meaningful experiences in the natural world for young people in our region. Each of these panelists' organization and contact information is below.

Participants got to hear these panelists' different philosophies and methodologies for nature education, and took home tips and strategies for providing meaningful experiences in nature for the young people in their lives amidst today's increasingly indoor and technologically-focused lifestyles.

(Read an article in the Seattle PI about the issue and our event).

Presenters' biographies:

Martin LeBlanc
National Youth Education Director for the Sierra Club and Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Children and Nature Network which is Chaired by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods . Martin has had a passion for the outdoors since having his own life turned around through an outdoor experience as a teenager. Before working for the Sierra Club, Martin was an outdoor education advocate for Texas Parks and Wildlife in Austin, Texas and was also an outdoor educator for Youthnet a non-profit in Mount Vernon, Washington in the mid 90’s. Martin believes “every child in America deserves their own special place in nature”. Contact Martin by emailing martin.leblanc (a) sierraclub.org

Stan Crow
Director Emeritus of Rite of Passage Journeys. Journeys is an organization which provides wilderness rights of passage experience for youth and adults and trainings for parents, educators and mentors in creating rites of passage and coming of age experiences. Stan is the former director of the organization's Center for Imaginal Education, and first joined the Journeys staff in 1971. Stan has extensive experience working with young people and training youth leaders. He has led the team in the development of Coming of age and mentoring curriculum. Stan is a skilled group facilitator, community-based educator, and ritualist, and enjoys nature and singing. Contact Stan by emailing stan (a) riteofpassagejourneys.org

John Chilkotowsky
Program Director of Wilderness Awareness School. Wilderness Awareness School is a national not-for-profit environmental education organization based in Duvall. Since 1983, they have pioneered a unique mentoring approach which helps awaken children's and adults' innate passions for the natural world. John has been an educator since 1995, teaching and designing wilderness programs in public schools, environmental education centers, and at primitive skills camps. John has a Bachelor of Science degree, and is a graduate of The Kamana Naturalist Training Program. He is in awe of the natural world and sees hope for the future in every child. Contact John by emailing johnc (a) wildernessawareness.org

Stacy Mercier Earlywine
Program Manager and Outdoor Educator for Passages Northwest. Passages Northwest is a Seattle based non profit dedicated to inspiring leadership and courage in girls through exploration of the arts and nature. Growing up in Maine, she was exposed early on to the power of wild places. Stacy received her BFA in Dance in 1994 and discovered climbing the following year. She volunteers as a lead climbing instructor/trainer with the Washington Alpine Club and has worked as field staff for Outward Bound. She's climbed, hiked, and explored her way through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, India, Tibet, Nepal, and Guatemala. Stacy believes her childhood experiences in the wilderness sparked her desire to explore the larger world and greatly shaped who she is today. Contact Stacy by emailing stacy (a) passagesnw.org

Jeff Rose
Associate Program Director with Outward Bound. Outward Bound is a national non-profit educational organization based in the North Cascades. He has worked extensively in experiential and outdoor education, teaching rock climbing and mountaineering in California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Jeff has a master's degree in geography from San Diego State University, researching the role that outdoor education institutions play in the way in which people relate to nature. He is an active member of several professional organizations including the Association for Experiential Education, the American Mountain Guides Association, and the Wilderness Education Association. Contact Jeff by emailing jrose (a) outwardbound.org

Mark Jordahl
Naturalist at IslandWood. Mark’s passion for learning about the natural world and his love of the Pacific Northwest were first sparked while working as an AmeriCorps volunteer and wilderness guide in Southeast Alaska in the mid-1990’s. In addition to working as a naturalist at IslandWood, he has taught in a marine science program for inner-city Seattle teens, owned a sea kayaking guide service, and served as Adult Programs Director for Wilderness Awareness School. In 2004-05, Mark spent a year doing his masters research on Conservation Education in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda. He strongly believes that kids need to get dirty more often. Contact Mark by emailing markj (a) islandwood.org

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Browse this website for information on our mentoring and other programs which can help you learn to how reconnect young people in your life with the natural world outside their door.