Evaluation, Exploration & Lessons Learned Oct.18, 2017

1. Evaluation, Exploration & Lessons Learned Oct.18, 2017

2. Woody Allen ‘I love nature, I just don’t want any of it on me”

3. Key Questions • What have we achieved, in terms of the programs we have produced? What worked, what failed and what can we learn? • How did the learning tenets (Ownership, Adventure, Authenticity, Experience, Full process, community, Continuity) aid in behavioural change? • How did the design archetypes enhance learning? • What have we achieved, in terms of the way we work with our partners? What worked, what failed and what can we learn? • What has changed in the community? • What did we learn specifically from the emerging leaders? • Can the program scale in a cost effective way?

4. Methodology • A variety of methods were used to capture learning • Numerical accounting • Types of teaching approaches • Risk management incident log • Reflection through journaling • Discussions, dialogues and debriefs • Audio and video recording • Photography • Storytelling • Surveying and Nature Readiness Scale • Focus groups • Testimonials • Reports • In future, it would be interesting to add a longitudinal study of a few campers, along with partner interviews and more child design opportunities

5. Results Volume of visitors • 60 onsite summer campers • Week 1-18 participants • Week 2-21 participants • Week 3-21 participants • 100 remote summer camps • 96 visitors through other camps • School visits – 50 (3 visits) • Trading tree program – 40 (4 visits) Total over 330 children Plus • 34 nature connection surveys completed • 250 attendees at farm events this summer • 5 of volunteers • 10 Partners

6. Results Types of teachings 3 of first nation teachings 5 types of approaches of learning 4 learning strategies/process Ratio of staff to students 1:5

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11. Nature Readiness Scale For each of the following, please rate the extent to which you agree with each statement, using the scale from 1 to 5 as shown below. Please respond as you really feel, rather than how you think "most people" feel 20 Responses PRE POST Parents were asked about connection to nature and on a scale of 1-10 have they seen a move towards more connection to nature. Most parents saw a jump from 4-5 to 7-8. One parent said 3-7. They saw their children wanting to hike more, more observant of birds and bugs, more respectful of the land, increased confidence and increased knowledge.

12. Post Camp Evaluation with Parents and Children Permission to get dirty ” Kids aren't bubble wrapped...I found a spider, I found a grasshopper that's great, found a slug...pick it up, that's what kids do...kids allowed to be kids, embrace nature and I support this approach" ‘This is where he should be. This is what kids should be doing” “we heat the house with wood. Our son never showed any interest in the fire. Now he is more comfortable around fire and wants to help move around the house. What happened at camp has now helped us at home” • Recommendations: • Offer “parent & child” follow up workshop, and potentially programming • Develop a parent council

13. Key Program Success Factors Place: Developed & undeveloped spaces. Personality: Invest in people, staff &students. Program:: Balance structured learning with emergent play. Permission: To explore, to build, grow Possibility: Leave room to grow naturally. Pace: Run and rest.

14. Recommendations for Improvementof Evaluation Process • Assess community impact over a 3 year time horizon. Add new evaluation methods such as longitudinal study of a few students. • Continue to build/adapt evaluation framework over next 2 years. • Increase work with teachers/educators and volunteers to capture more learning. Need more volunteers to carry out evaluations. • Test/add a family & kids “Help us track” workshop • Exploreevaluation approaches to measure i)instant satisfaction, ii) long-term teaching transfer, and iii) “nature connectedness”.

15. Emerging Kid-Focused Principles • Nature’s elements: fire, water, weather, animals -- all are facilitators of learning. • Building confidence to learn new skills and take risks. Safety and risk can be good learning partners. • There is a time & place to run and a time to slow down; a time to lead and a time to follow. • Hide and seek fosters discovery of new spaces; hunting and gathering fosters ownership, responsibility. • Connect to nature while connecting to each other; nurturing a sharedpride in place. • Modeling inclusion: make this a place for all who come. • Remember the eco-tones: transition zones are the foragers’ paradise. • Let nature be the designer alongside people’s structural plans