Secondary Environmental Education Collaborative
Climate change. Water scarcity. Energy. Invasive species. Environmental issues are sweeping the country – and awaiting today’s teenagers, who will inherit a mixed environmental legacy that demands attention, understanding and innovation.
To prepare the next generation of environmental leaders, schools need a curriculum that reaches diverse students and reconnects them to nature, through coursework, internships and outdoor experiences. Together, The Nature Conservancy and Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies seek to build this infrastructure, by creating the “Secondary Environmental Education Collaborative” (SEEC)—the first national network of environmentally-themed schools and academies.
The Collaborative will be spearheaded by Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies, an environmental education organization associated with the nation’s first environmental high school. Over twenty high schools across the United States are slated to participate in the three-year pilot phase. Participating educators will develop a guide of best practices and share their experiences with peers through an online social network, education journals and conferences.
Enhancing the classroom experience, students in this pilot project will be invited to apply for residential paid internships with The Nature Conservancy. Internships will provide students with real-world conservation career training and foster positive youth development activities around multi cultural exchange, teamwork and individual responsibility.
This unique collaborative will encourage today’s children to pursue a lifelong journey of environmental awareness by strengthening environmental learning in the classroom and providing frequent opportunities to learn through regular hands-on and outdoor activities.
To Learn More
The Nature Conservancy and the Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies
High school internships: bgriswold@tnc.org; High school network: nrhodes@friendsofhses.org
322 Eighth Avenue, 16th Floor,
New York, NY, 10001
212.381.2186
