 |
|
| |||||||||
| Donate now! | |||||||||
| 
| 
| World Forum Alliance Members 
|
Organizers/Partners
The Working Forum on Nature Education for Young Children is an activity of the World Forum Foundation working in collaboration with a large number of organizations world wide advocating the value of reconnecting young children with nature. Original OrganizersThe World Forum Foundation is collaborating with the following organizations to create the Working Forum…Child Educational Center, Pasadena, CA USA The Child Educational Center, a non profit full-day child care center, opened its doors in 1979 to serve the growing need for the education and care of young children of working families at JPL, Caltech and the surrounding community. Our goal, both 26 years ago and today, is to facilitate the development of children and support all families, in whatever form they may take. We view all people, large and small, as engaged in their own developmental process and deserving of our respect and care. Dimensions Educational Research Foundation The Dimensions Educational Research Foundation was formed in 1998 to study how the addition of more visual-spatial activities into classrooms and homes can positively enhance learning in young children. For a number of years the Foundation has conducted and collected research on how children best develop visual-spatial skills and how teachers and families can optimally support this development through activities focusing on building, nature and movement. Our mission is to inspire children, families and educators to better understand, appreciate and personally connect with the world around them by providing innovative research-based programs and resource materials. Recently our research has led to an increased focus on the benefits of using the natural world as an integral part of the learning process. National Arbor Day Foundation The National Arbor Day Foundation’s mission is to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. Established in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has touched millions of lives with its educational and positive-action programs such as Rain Forest Rescue and Tree City USA. The Foundation’s nearly million members plant millions of trees each year, and support programs for youth education and nature education for young children. Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City features Lied Lodge & Conference Center, which hosts local, national, and international conferences, and the Tree Adventure with numerous nature education for young children demonstrations. Sponsoring and Participating OrganizationsThe following organizations have supported the Working Forum through making contributions and/or through their active involvement in its planning and implementation. To learn more about the work of these organizations, click on their web sites where listed.American Society of Landscape Architects, Washington, DC, USA Founded in 1899, the American Society of Landscape Architects is the national professional association representing landscape architects. ASLA works to increase the public’s awareness of and appreciation for the profession of landscape architecture. Being:Art, Memphis, TN, USA Being:Art was formed in 2004 with the purpose of revealing the art-making process and creating aesthetic works of art. We provide fusion art experiences for adults and children in the form of performances, workshops, and residencies. The work includes dance, music, and visual art designed for site-specific environments. Recently, our work has been focused on the development of workshops and performances to help people reconnect with the natural world; and the development of musical instruments for outdoor classrooms. Davey Tree Expert Company Davey Tree Expert Company has provided a range of tree, shrub, and lawn care services to homeowners for over a century. They manage and maintain the beauty of North America's most prestigious commercial grounds; provide solutions and plans for golf course and sports turf managers; specialize in providing and moving large specimen trees nationwide; provide comprehensive vegetation management services for utility companies throughout North America; and provide a full range of arboriculture and horticultural planning and consulting services. Fundación Cultural Yucatán, A.C., Yaxumah, Mexico Civil society is a novel tool, a spontaneous strategy aimed at adopting a collective consciousness that can be focused on working towards vital changes. Emergence of the new civil society has led to creation of organizations whose members and associates focus their efforts and resources on solving some of the manifold problems currently confronting our world. It was within this overall context that the Fundación Cultural Yucatán, A.C. was created in 1992. Since its founding we have centered our efforts on promoting the social-cultural development, education and productivity needed to improve quality of life in rural communities in the State of Yucatan, Mexico. For over a decade we have been transforming the lives of rural people, attaining tangible results and accumulating many invaluable experiences that have enabled us to constantly improve our work and would be of great use to other government or private initiatives oriented toward the common good. International Child Resource Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA ICRI is an international organization committed to improving the lives of children and families throughout the world, enabling them to survive and succeed. We focus on children’s issues such as: child care and education, child abuse prevention, child survival, maternal and child health, placement alternatives for abandoned and traumatized children, and promotion of children’s rights. International Federation of Landscape Architects, Versailles, France IFLA represents the landscape architectural profession globally, providing leadership and networks supporting the development of the profession and its effective participation in the realization of attractive, equitable and sustainable environments. Keep America Beautiful, Stamford, CT, USA Keep America Beautiful, Inc. is the nation's largest nonprofit community improvement and educational organization, founded in 1953. We have three areas of focus: litter prevention, beautification and community improvement, and waste reduction. We work with businesses, schools, neighborhood groups and local governments to improve our land, waters and built environment. We provide programs that help communities reduce, reuse ands recycle. We teach young people how to care for, preserve and protect our environment. Kersey/Wike Associates Kersey/Wike Associates offers landscape architectural services for public and private sector clients throughout the southeastern United States and beyond.
Since its founding in 1989 the firm has committed itself to cost effective and timely solutions that reflect superior value and quality. We listen to our clients and strive to develop synergies that occur when highly motivated individuals focus their efforts on a common goal. We sincerely strive to understand our client's desires and fashion a strategy to aid them in achieving a solution that is truly theirs. Moore Wallace Response Marketing Services Moore Wallace Response Marketing Services creates, manages, and produces world-class direct mail for the leading direct marketers and advertisers in America and Europe. Their focus is to deliver outstanding financial results and peace of mind to their clients through improved creative, better strategy, higher net response rates, quality production, and postal savings. They do that through the disciplined understanding of past experience, their customer base, and through testing into new direct mail controls. They have extensive resources in direct marketing strategy, analytics, creative and copy development, and a deep reserve of database management, variable imaging, print, and finishing technology. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington. VA, USA The mission of the Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on earth by protecting the land and water they need to survive. Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children, Inc. The Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children is a membership organization and a part of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the largest early childhood organization in the world. NeAEYC began in 1976 and for the past 30 years has been dedicated to strengthening and supporting the early childhood community in Nebraska. Programs and services of Nebraska AEYC include T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA, the Accreditation Support Project, a Quality Enhancement Pilot Project, a quarterly newsletter, Week of the Young Child activities, advocacy activities, support for local conferences, the website, and participation on a wide array of teams and committees impacting early childhood. Nebraska Children and Families Foundation Nebraska Children was created at the recommendation of a task force to unite Nebraska communites and government agencies with the mission of protecting children and preserving their families. Since its inception, Nebraska Children has focused on prevention services with the goal of having every child reach their full potential and participate as valued members of our communities. The Nebraska Department of Education Early Childhood Team The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) is a constitutional agency approved by Nebraska voters. The Department operates under the authority of an elected board of education. NDE is organized into teams that interact to operate the agency and carry out the duties assigned by state and federal statutes and the policy directions of the State Board of Education. The teams are organized around distinct functions and responsibilities that encompass leadership and support for Nebraska's system of early childhood, primary, secondary and postsecondary education; direct services to clients; and internal support to the agency. NDE is committed to providing an essential education for all children to help them grow to be successful in lifelong learning, earning, and living. The mission of the NDE Early Childhood Team is to provide leadership, resources, and professional development in support of high quality early childhood settings and effective parenting The Nebraska Early Childhood Training Center The Early Childhood Training Center is a statewide organization that is designed to provide, enhance and coordinate early childhood professional development opportunities across the state and to promote an interdisciplinary model of training. The leadership and expertise of the staff contributes to understanding of current issues and professional themes that engage with partners in pursuit of the vision that all young Nebraska children are secure, healthy, and successful. NIPPA - the early years organisation, Belfast, Northern Ireland NIPPA is the largest early years organisation in Northern Ireland. We are a non-profit organisation and have been working since 1965 to promote high quality childcare for children aged 0-14 and their families. Currently NIPPA provides information and training for parents, childcare providers, employers and local authorities. We hope this website will help you to find out more about early childcare and education. NIPPA's vision is to promote high quality care, education, family support and community development regionally, nationally and internationally. North American Association of Environmental Educators, Washington, DC, USA Since 1971, the North American Association of Environmental Educators has been a leading professional association promoting environmental education, and providing professional development, resources, programs and networks. NAAEE is a network of environmental education professionals, students, and volunteers throughout North America and in over 55 countries around the world working to promote a healthy and sustainable environment through education. Paul Winter Consort Saxophonist Paul Winter founded this ensemble in 1968, as a forum for all the music traditions he had come to love, including those of jazz, classical, Brazil, and Africa, along with voices from what he calls "the greater symphony of the Earth," such as whales and wolves. The Consort has performed over 2500 concerts in 48 countries, and has recorded 30 albums, five of which have received Grammy Awards. Project Learning Tree, Washington, DC, USA Project Learning Tree is an award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool to grade 12. Reggio Children, Reggio Emila, Italy Reggio Children was established in 1994 to manage the pedagogical and cultural exchange initiatives between the municipal early childhood services and teachers and researchers from all over the world. The new experience was based on the idea originally proposed by Loris Malaguzzi and carried on by a committee of local citizens and educators. Roots & Shoots: A program of the Jane Goodall Institute, Tanzania Dr Jane Goodall founded the Roots & Shoots program in Tanzania, in 1991, with a gathering of 16 students on her front porch. The students were fascinated by animal behavior and environmental concerns, but none of their classes covered these topics. Together with Dr Jane, the students tried to determine how they could address these issues. They went back to their schools with the task of forming clubs with other interested young people, and Roots & Shoots began. Today, Roots & Shoots is a global network of groups of young people in over 90 countries, all working in their own communities to make a difference for animals, the environment and people. Groups form in many settings including schools, daycare centers, families, churches and nature centers and are supported and connected by our national and regional offices. The flexible Roots & Shoots methodology emphasizes the principle that knowledge leads to compassion, which inspires action. For educators and parents working with children ages 3-8 years, we have developed our Roots & Shoots for Young Children activity packets, which focus on developing awareness and empathy. Many of the activities allow children to observe and learn about the natural world in a hands-on way. The exploration of how plants, animals, and humans interact provides the basis children need to become compassionate, engaged members of their communities. Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, Belize The Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) was founded in 1997 to meet the growing environmental and development needs of the Toledo District, the southernmost district of Belize. TIDE was conceived as a grassroots initiative in response to the negative environmental effects from activities such as manatee poaching, illegal fishing, illegal logging, destructive farming methods, and other types of unsustainable development. Initially started by volunteers, TIDE has now grown to include 20 paid staff. TIDE's mission is to research and monitor Toledo's natural resources, to assist in protected areas planning and management and to lead the development of responsible tourism and other environmentally sustainable economic alternatives by providing training and support to local residents. USDA Forest Service. Washington, DC, USA The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service is a Federal agency that manages public lands in national forests and grasslands. The Forest Service is also the largest forestry research organization in the world, and provides technical and financial assistance to state and private forestry agencies. Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the Forest Service, summed up the purpose of the Forest Service—"to provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in the long run." |
