Youth Development & Nature Connection Framework (Recording)

The saying 1+1=3 rings true when it comes to intentionally integrating youth development with nature experiences, the benefits of each and produces new outcomes for youth to reach their full potential. Join C&NN to explore effective and inspirational practices at this intersection that are greater than their individual parts and to map your organization’s progress toward achieving positive youth development outcomes through quality nature engagement. Featuring conversation with Therese Ryley from Southwest Conservation Corps and Shandiin Nez from Continental Divide Trail Coalition.

Thérèse d’Auria Ryley or “Tess” is the Program Director for the Southwest Conservation Corps, Los Valles, which serves the Upper Arkansas River Valley and the San Luis Valley. Tess oversees general operations of the corps while developing new programming that address historic inequities that have been pervasive in the conservation industry. Tess was a 2021-22 Keystone Policy Center Systems Impact Institute Fellow where she collaborated with non-profit workers and educators across the state of Colorado to address systemic inequities to improve programming and educational opportunities for Colorado’s youth and young adults. In her free-time, Tess enjoys hiking and trail running all the trails in the Upper Arkansas and San Luis Valleys, and reading all the fiction.

Shandiin Nez is a member of the Navajo Nation, currently working out of Gallup, NM, on Dine and Zuni lands. Their connection to the land was formed by an early introduction to outdoor recreation and cultural practices while growing up in the Four Corners region with hiking, fishing, fossil searches and hunting. Before joining CDTC as the Southern New Mexico Policy Fellow, Shandiin worked with groups like Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps, Southwest Conservation Corps and the Student Conservation Association in a variety of roles alongside agency staff, communities, Tribal Nations, Indigenous youth and volunteers to not only steward trails, but ensure that the trail community is an inclusive one for all who want to enjoy the outdoors.