Beyond mentorship: Engaging young people in designing nature programs

Young adult leaders are bringing fresh voices and new ideas to the Children & Nature Network’s Inside-Out International Conference through a newly established Youth Advisory Council (YAC). 

For an event focused on building the movement for children and nature, there’s an easy case to be made for incorporating young people into the event’s planning and design. The YAC model is easily replicated by organizations with varying budgets and missions as a way to incorporate young people’s voices, build the capacity of young participants, and diversify and improve the program offerings. 

Read on to meet some of the young leaders who are playing an integral role in Inside-Out conference planning.

A diversity of perspectives

In the case of the Inside-Out Conference YAC, the term “youth” refers to young adults ages 18-30 years old. This broad age range “allows for a wide range of experiences to learn from and share,” says council member Hadley Peterson, an urban planner and community builder. “I love the breadth of lived experience in the group and the different identities we all hold to advocate for similar goals.”

“By inviting a diverse group to join, we get to hear the experience of the communities that they belong to as well. That is powerful,” explains Tanya Pappa, Cities and Youth Engagement Manager for the Children & Nature Network. Tanya helped guide the council’s formation and work plan, which included reviewing conference session proposals and scholarship applications.

“When reviewing applications, I focused on who should have the opportunity to present at and attend the conference,” council member Zara Noreen, a scientific program manager, explains.  

“There is a reality that conferences can uphold the ways in which white supremacy has shaped professionalism and academia,” says council member Kimiko Russell-Halterman, a PhD student and leader within the group Brown Girl Surf.  

“I believe strongly that Black, Indigenous and all People of Color and people of all genders hold integral and beautiful relationships to nature, and the injustices we see in unequal representation — ‘the nature gap’ — need to be recognized.” Kimiko continues. 

Council member Leidy Pineda Flores, who leads bilingual education and outreach for city parks, agrees. Through the YAC, “I can continue elevating marginalized voices and continue the process of addressing barriers to outdoor access,” she explains. “Knowing that my voice and ideas are interwoven with the big picture of the conference makes me feel empowered to continue connecting and elevating other youth voices.”

Fresh ideas improve the event

“When we involve young people in decision-making spaces, we receive ideas that are new and innovative,” says Tanya.

Deryn Wagner agrees. Deryn is a member of the Inside-Out Conference Colorado Advisory Council, a sister council composed of Colorado leaders who provide regional expertise to the conference planning process. A Senior Landscape Architect for the City of Boulder, Colorado, Deryn referred several of the young people who would become members of the YAC.

“They are seeing things in ways that we won’t, thinking of things in ways that we won’t. And that ends up benefiting all of us — keeping us fresh,” Deryn explains. 

Members of Inside-Out’s Youth Advisory Council design the optimal networking activity to help everyone feel welcome at the upcoming conference.

One fresh idea to help people find their footing? The council will host two young adult meet-ups at the conference. The meet-up will include an icebreaker, grounding moment and networking activities. The networking portion sparked a rousing discussion at a recent YAC meeting as the council aimed to maximize mingling, while seeking meaningful, longer-lasting connections.

“We want to stretch ourselves so that we meet people to have friends throughout the conference,” one council member noted. Ultimately, they decided on networking bingo — but rather than using prompts like “Find someone who works in environmental education,” they opted for prompts that would require conversation and build connection, like “Chat with someone who plans to attend the same Tuesday morning session as you.”

Another YAC original contribution: a collaborative art piece, or “graffiti wall.” A big blank piece of butcher paper will be displayed in a central location throughout the event, with a prompt encouraging participants to draw or write. It will allow participants to share perspectives without having to converse with people they don’t know — a welcome outlet for introverts or for those who feel uncomfortable sharing in a group setting.

It’s ideas like these that the YAC hopes will make young people, People of Color and others who have historically been underrepresented in outdoor spaces feel more welcome.

Diving is a passion that council members Kimiko Russell-Halterman (pictured) and Zara Noreen share in common. Photo by Alexander Krowiak.

“We want to make sure that they don’t feel left out, that they know they deserve to be there — that they belong,” Zara explains.  

A Chinese American adoptee, Zara considers herself a “senior youth” on the council. Her background in government contracting has helped her feel comfortable operating in traditional professional environments. 

But it wasn’t always easy. 

She admits to experiencing imposter syndrome early on, sometimes wondering, “Should I introduce myself? Do I belong in this space?”

Battling imposter syndrome is a theme of the council’s work.

Zara proposed the creation of a “Conferencing 101” document to be shared with conference attendees ahead of time. Targeted to first-time or newer conference attendees, this “tip sheet” will help newcomers navigate the conference experience. 

One suggestion? “Prepare your personal elevator speech ahead of time so you know what to say when meeting someone new,” Zara says. “It’s something small that can help to ease the stress of making introductions.”

Meaningful involvement

As someone who has been on youth councils in the past, Tanya took care to avoid missteps that she’s experienced. “Youth engagement can sometimes feel very performative,” she explains. To counteract this, she and other conference planners intentionally guided the YAC to contribute in areas where they could have a meaningful influence.

Hadley sees the value in involving young people in the early stages of planning — for events and beyond. “I’m a huge advocate of authentic youth engagement in all planning processes,” she says. “I’ve helped to build processes and spaces to ensure they are accessible to youth, since they will be the future stewards of these spaces.”

Intergenerational movement building

“The group of people I’ve gotten to meet through the magical interconnection tool of Zoom come from so many branches of our movement, and have provided so many perspectives that I personally have learned a great deal about,” says Kimiko when thinking about her experience on the council.

Leidy agrees. “Working with other talented youth always makes me feel inspired and fills my cup to continue to bring people out to nature!”

Because of the broad diversity of ages and career experiences of the council members, there are opportunities for mentorship within the council. Hadley, a new mother, explains that she joined because she saw an opportunity to advocate for young people of all ages: “For my daughter, those in high school still deciding their careers, and for myself — while also being able to be a mentor to others on the council,” she explains. 

Going beyond career networking, the powerful relationships woven among past, present and future generations is a thread that runs through the council. Ancestors of decades past, children of decades to come, and the childhood experiences of council members — all are connected in the movement to turn our indoor society back out to the benefits of nature.

“My ancestors are from Japan (Okinawa), West Africa and Ireland, and I find a spiritual connection to them through immersion in the sea,” Kimiko says. She credits her relationship with the ocean and nature to her ancestors. 

Similarly, Leidy’s work leading bilingual education and outreach for Boulder’s parks was inspired by her early life experiences growing up in Boulder and “finding the sense of wonder in the natural world.”

This connection runs through all of us, tying us to nature. “I feel that education in the outdoors is a powerful tool in grounding ourselves in reconnection to the earth, and am grateful for the young people that I get to be in community with, in joyful and powerful connection to nature,” Kimiko explains.

“The intention is that the Inside-Out conference is a comfortable, empowering and generative place for young people,” Kimiko says. “I believe getting insight from the YAC will aid this conference in being unique and supportive in really important ways.”

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