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• Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Environmental Education (Online Course)

  • Start
    Mon, June 05, 2023
  • End
    Mon, July 31, 2023
  • Spaces left
    0

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  This course is designed to provide a strong foundation in the language, concepts and principles of equity work for environmental educators and environmental professionals.  It is meant to be an introductory course and spark interest in further learning around justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI). The main topics for the course include:

  • Foundations of communication for sensitive topics, including group agreements and nonviolent communication.

  • Developing a common language for discussing JEDI topics

  • Understanding historical intersections of the environmental movement with social justice topics, how those historical events might still be causing impacts today.

  • Understanding bias, stereotypes, and oppression

  • Reflecting on power and privilege that different identities afford, how that power and privilege manifests as microaggressions and how to use the power and privilege you had to develop a personal action plan.

  This course was developed through a partnership between Center for Diversity and the Environment, EcoInclusive, Justice Outside, Environmental Educators of North Carolina, Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education, and Kentucky Association for Environmental Education.  

  Format: This is an asynchronous online course. 

  • All activities must be completed independently on your own time/schedule within the 8 week timeframe.  Actual time to complete the course will vary, but we estimate it will take approximately 15 hours.
  • We will provide a suggested timeline and periodic reminders to encourage timely completion of assignments.  While we want to be flexible, we also want these learning experiences to be meaningful and we think timely and periodic work in the courses will benefit participants more than trying to complete coursework at the last minute.
  • Coursework includes watching videos, reading articles, posting on forums and Padlet boards, and writing personal reflections.

  Cohort Timeline: This cohort will begin June 5, 2023.  Participants will have until July 31 , 2023 to complete the course.

  Earning Credit: This course qualifies for 15 hours Criteria I Credit for EE Certification Program Enrollees, 10-hour maximum CE Credit for those already EE Certified.  For all other continuing education, you can earn 1.5 CEU's (15 hours)

  Registration: $30 for EENC members, $40 for general registration.  Sliding registration option also available.

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• Supporting and Protecting LGBTQIA+ Youth

  • When
    Thu, June 08, 2023
  •  
    1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
  • Spaces left
    9

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  So far in 2023, more than 600 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in Congress and 46 state legislatures around the country. The majority of these bills target young people, particularly those who identify as transgender or non-binary, or those who are people of color. At the same time, both federal laws and professional ethics forbid discrimination on the basis of sex, race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Educators are caught in the middle, and, in fact, a number of these bills specifically target educators and educational curricula, placing schools and educators once again on the front lines of the culture wars. Please join us on June 8 for a question-and-answer session with Craig White and Lore Lane from the Campaign for Southern Equality, a regional organization whose mission is to support the lived and legal equality of LGBTQIA+ people in the South, and bring your questions, concerns, hopes and challenges. 

  About the Facilitators:

  Craig White, MSW (he/him or they/them), Supportive Schools Director, Campaign for Southern Equality.

  As Supportive Schools Director, Craig provides training, policy guidance, and assessment services to assist Southern schools in becoming more inclusive and welcoming for students of every sexual and gender identity. He also advises and advocates on other LGBTQ youth-related issues and policies. Outside of his CSE work, Craig is the lead facilitator for Craig White Consulting, a private consulting practice through which they do racial equity training and consulting with schools, nonprofits and foundations around the US. They also teach as an adjunct faculty member in the Education Program at Warren Wilson College, and are a co-leader of the Leadership Learning Exchange for Equity organized by the Maine Community Foundation. Craig holds an undergraduate degree from Brown University and an MSW from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is a William C. Friday Fellow for Human Relations through the Wildacres Leadership Initiative. He has lived with his family in the Asheville, NC area since 1999.

  Lore Lane (they/them), Impact Coordinator, Campaign for Southern Equality.

  Lore was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. Prior to joining the CSE team Lore was a counselor at a youth shelter and provided an affirming space for queer residents. They are passionate about lived and legal equality and so during one of the worst anti-LGBTQ youth legislative sessions on record they sought out a position that would enable them to continue serving their community. As the Impact Coordinator at CSE, Lore works to maintain and grow the volunteer program by connecting with the community and providing training. They are also able to pursue their passion for uplifting and protecting queer youth in CSE’s Supportive Schools program. They are currently attending Western Carolina University for a degree in Emergency and Disaster Management. In their spare time they enjoy hiking with their partner, caring for their pug and two cats, and making art.

  Logistics:
  This workshop will be held online via Zoom. 

  This workshop will be eligible for 2 hours of Criteria III/Continuing Ed for the NC EE Certification.

  Cancellation:

  Registration for this workshop may be canceled up until 7 days before the official start date for a full refund, minus a $10 cancellation fee, by emailing programs@eenc.org. No refunds will be offered for cancellations after June 7.

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• Online K-12 EE Guidelines for Excellence Workshop - Tuesday AM Section

  • Start
    Mon, June 12, 2023
  •  
    10:30 AM
  • End
    Fri, June 23, 2023
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • Location
    Online
  • Spaces left
    13

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  The Guidelines for Excellence is a series of materials to help environmental educators hone their practice and programs to national standards for high-quality EE programming.   This workshop will focus on the K-12 Environmental Education Guidelines for Excellence publication.

  This workshop is for educators (formal, nonformal, and higher education) who want to learn more about:  

  • What environmental literacy is and how to explain the value of environmental literacy.
  • What environmental literacy should look like by the end of grades 4, 8 and 12.
  • How to connect these Guidelines to your EE instructional materials and NC curriculum standards.

  Format: This course will be a combination of independent online work and required group calls.  We will be using an online platform called Moodle for independent work and Zoom for the calls (video and call-in options). 

  Live Call Dates: Tuesday, June 13 and Tuesday, June 20 from 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Note: you must attend and participate in both calls to receive full credit for this course.

  Facilitators: Michelle Pearce

  Limited to 20 students. 

  Eligible for 10 hours of Criteria I or continuing education credit for the NC DEQ EE Certificate.

  Registration: $15 for EENC members, $20 for general registration.  

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• Universal Design for Learning in Environmental Education (Online Course)

  • Start
    Mon, June 19, 2023
  • End
    Mon, July 31, 2023
  • Spaces left
    17

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  Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework to guide the design of learning environments that are accessible and challenging for all, rather than making modifications for individual students’ needs. This course will encourage you to reflect deeply on your practice to focus on how you plan and teach, not just the content you teach.  Whether you’re a classroom teacher or outdoor nonformal educator, are an experienced professional or just getting started in the field, and are new to inclusion or have been leading inclusive programming for years, we hope this course will inspire you to strengthen your pedagogical practices so they are more welcoming, inclusive and accessible for all learners. Focus areas include:

  • Understanding the principles of Universal Design for Learning
  • Describing terms, techniques, tools, and resources to promote inclusivity and access to better serve diverse populations, specifically those with learning differences, physical accessibility needs, and language barriers
  • Evaluating your current teaching practices/pedagogy and your setting to identify barriers to participation
  • Applying the principles of universal design for learning to your pedagogical practices to redesign a lesson, activity, or program

  This course content was designed by Michelle Silvers of Silver’s Lining PLLC, Estrella Risinger with the Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education, Michelle Pearce and Lauren Pyle with the Environmental Educators of North Carolina, with contributions from Rebekah Jones and the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning.

  Format: This is an asynchronous online course. 

  • All activities must be completed independently on your own time/schedule within the 6 week timeframe.  Actual time to complete the course will vary, but we estimate it will take approximately 10 hours.
  • We will provide a suggested timeline and periodic reminders to encourage timely completion of assignments.  While we want to be flexible, we also want these learning experiences to be meaningful and we think timely and periodic work in the courses will benefit participants more than trying to complete coursework at the last minute.
  • Coursework includes watching videos, reading articles, posting on forums and Padlet boards, and writing personal reflections.

  Cohort Timeline: This cohort will begin June 19, 2023.  Participants will have until July 31, 2023 to complete the course.

  Earning Credit: This course qualifies for 10 hours Criteria III Credit for EE Certification Program Enrollees, 10-hour maximum CE Credit for those already EE Certified.  For all other continuing education, you can earn 1.0 CEU's (10 hours)

  Registration: $30 for EENC members, $40 for general registration.  Sliding registration option also available.

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• Piedmont Section Moth Night

  • When
    Thu, June 22, 2023
  •  
    8:30 PM
  • Location
    Reedy Creek Nature Center & Nature Preserve - 2986 Rocky River Road, Charlotte, NC 28215

  Register

  Join us on June 22nd at 8:30 PM at Reedy Creek Park for an exciting Moth Night event led by Lenny Lampel. The program will start at the nature center, where Lenny will share information about moths, the work that Reedy Creek has been doing, and what our expectations are for the evening. 

  We will then move to designated areas where sheets and black lights have been set up to attract moths, and there participants will get to view and identify various moth species that are found in the Piedmont Section. 
  

  
  

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• Cradle of Forestry Hike | EENC Western Section Event

  • When
    Thu, June 29, 2023
  •  
    10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Cradle of Forestry | 11250 Pisgah Hwy., Pisgah Forest, NC 28768

  Join us for a beautiful morning stroll through the birthplace of scientific forestry in the US, deep in the heart of the Pisgah National Forest. Join us for a FREE behind the scenes tour of the historic Biltmore Campus trail with EENC board member and FIND Outdoors Education Manager Clay Wooldridge, as he takes us back through time to a different era. 

  We will explore the history of the Biltmore Forest School, the natural history of the Pisgah National Forest, and how we can use the outdoors as a tool for teaching history, literacy, science and developing deeper connections to the places we live. Stick around for a picnic lunch afterwards if you would like (lunch not provided). Open to members and nonmembers- limited spots available. Moderate activity level. 

  Register by June 20, 2023 using the link below. If you have any questions, email Dana Miller at western@eenc.org.

  Click Here to Register
  

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