ways nature inspires you through journaling with others!
CLIMATE EDUCATION
The Small Farm Struggle: Educating theYouth about SustainableAgriculture | Ruby van Dyk, Senior at Casco Bay High School
After months of research for her senior year expedition on small Maine farming and the struggles they face, Ruby van Dyk has become profoundly aware of the need for more people especially young people to become invested in this issue Ruby will take the attendees through a day of a small farmer in Maine Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook. Attendees will plan out their idea for their farm in groups and use cards with images to order the food system. We will discuss infrastructure projects like the Gorham connector using this case study as well as the simulated experience. There will also be a sampling of a few foods from local farms
CLIMATE EDUCATION
Building Climate Literacy and Empowerment through Climate Communication, Action Strategies, and Community:An Introduction toAClimate toThrive's Climate Ambassadors Program
Wilson Haims, Alison Bligh, A Climate to Thrive
Participants will engage in key elements of our Climate Ambassador Program to develop climate leadership skills Through an overview of climate science and impacts, solutions, and strategies to tactfully communicate about climate change, participants will acquire crucial insight and techniques to galvanize support and make change in their communities. This workshop will also require participants to look inward, reflecting on their experiences and exploring the skills and interests they already hold within themselves to contribute as part of the solution
SKILLS FOR ACTION
Employee’s Declassified CareerSurvival Guide
Bethany Humphrey, Consultant
Ray Mills & Sulwan Ahmed, MEEA/TNC Changemakers Residents
Are you starting your career? Want to learn how to navigate the working world and share your experiences with others? Join us to learn how to advocate for yourself, recognize healthy and unhealthy workplaces, and build skills to navigate difficult work situations. This workshop is catered towards youth under 30.
WABANAKI STUDIES
Introduction to Wabanaki Studies
Brianne Lolar, Maine Department of Education
Kaya Lolar, MEEA Wabanaki Studies and Policy Coordinator
Get interactive with available Wabanaki studies resources and build connections with
other educators looking to implement Wabanaki studies in their classrooms and communities. This material represents a continuing collaborative effort between the Wabanaki Nations, Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators, districts, and other organizations
10:45 - 11:45am Workshop Sessions 2
OUTDOOR LEARNING
Connecting Nature,Technology, and Social-Emotional Learning
Lauren Watkinson, Mt Ararat Middle School
This workshop showcases three adaptable environmental education activities that integrate hands-on exploration, technology, and creative expression for grades 6-12. These versatile activities can be scaled to various developmental needs and school settings, combining scientific inquiry with project-based learning to support socialemotional growth while fostering genuine connections with the natural world Participants will experience both indoor presentation and outdoor implementation components and receive comprehensive digital resources for immediate classroom use.
CLIMATE EDUCATION
Online Climate EducationTools: Maine Won't Wait:AClimate Policy Guide for Students and SubjecttoClimate
Katie Coppens, Falmouth Middle School
Abigail Hayne, Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future
Carey Hotaling, SubjecttoClimate
Maine Won’t Wait is Maine’s four-year climate action plan. Learn about an adapted version of it for younger people (grades 6-12) called Maine Won't Wait: A Climate Policy Guide for Students We will navigate its interactive features and discuss ways educators can embed this into their educational setting or a unit Various lesson plans and assessments, across content areas, that connect with this guide will be shared The second half of the workshop will focus on free resources for K-12 resources for teachers in all disciplines. MEEA was a founding organization of the Maine Climate Education Hub, which has over 2700 resources, and many place-based Maine lessons and activities that are ready to use and aligned with the Maine Learning Standards. Come with your curriculum in mind, and learn now climate education is not an add-on, but can be embedded into what you already are doing!
SKILLS FOR ACTION
Wheelchairs in the Wild: Exploring the Intersections of Environmental and Disability Justice
The 4-person group uses music and the arts to promote environmental stewardship and response to the urgency of climate change. Through interdisciplinary public performances that combine music and other art forms, Halcyon draws attention to the daily challenges, rewards, and realities facing communities They collaborate with scientists, artists, students, actors, composers, poets, and educators Their performances invite audiences to feel, celebrate, reflect, and respond collectively to the world around them.
1:25
- 2:25pm
Workshop Sessions 3
NETWORKING SESSION Second Floor, Room 204
Take a break from structured workshops and get to know your peers at these community networking sessions! This year we will also be offering two networking opportunities during the 3rd and 4th sessions of the day on Saturday Open to anyone, these networking spaces will be a chance to meet and talk to others as general networking and/or crowd sourced topical conversations Tabling organizations will be nearby for you to network with as well
OUTDOOR LEARNING
ProtectingAsh: a Preservation Focused Inventory Project
Meggie Harvey, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Abigail Long, Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Nell Houde, Wild Seed Project
In this workshop, participants will experience activities designed to support youth in building ecosystem understandings, placing themselves within a long history of stewardship efforts, and developing fieldwork skills. Then, they will learn about and contribute to a community science effort to protect future generations of ash trees.
SKILLS FOR ACTION
PerformingArts to
Impassion Climate Learning
Marcia Taylor, Third Act Maine
Begin to build expressive arts into your environmental curricula. No prior performance experience needed; templates and handouts will be provided. Skit, song, comedy, magic acts, circus arts, dance/hip hop, public speaking, visual arts-whatever resonates with your student creators What you'll need: trust in your students, an open mind and a bit of audacity Whether you work with kindergarteners, teens, adults or elders, you’ll find something useful here.
SKILLS FOR ACTION
ShiftingAvoidance Culture: What is possible when we lean in?
estephanie g maroall, Mycorrising
that are worth staying for. This space is for folks to celebrate parts of our environment that helps us wake up in the morning.
SKILLS
FOR ACTION
Bridging Barriers, BuildingTrails: OutdoorAccess Solutions
Enock Glidden & Alexandria Sukeforth, Outdoor Access Solutions
Join Enock Glidden for a hands-on trail assessment, where you'll experience accessibility challenges firsthand using simulation tools. Learn practical, outdoor strategies for creating inclusive trails, guided by Enock's expert insights and realworld case studies Leave with actionable solutions and the inspiration to build truly accessible outdoor spaces in your community
SKILLS
FOR ACTION
The Cove Congress
Sadri Mohamed & Sean Emerson Allen, MEEA Changemakers Fellows
Equitable policymaking in Congress remains a widely debated issue. Racial biases, limited socio-economic representation, and a lack of inclusive gender dialogue are just a few of the most visible challenges So how do we begin to address them? One solution is education teaching both current and future policymakers. This preventative approach can foster meaningful dialogue and drive more inclusive policy development. However, access to policy making education is often limited by the very same systemic issues that hinder equity in Congress creating a cycle of exclusion and “scarcity”. This workshop aims to raise awareness about the current state of equity in policy making
SKILLS
FOR ACTION
The White Oak Project: Planting trees foran abundant future
Kathy Pollard, Know yOUR Land Consulting
Ann Pollard-Ranco, Penobscot citizen and cultural consultant
Nell Houde, Wild Seed Project
Our warming climate is driving changes in the composition of Maine's boreal forests, and it has brought blights/pests that are killing species such as brown ash and beech. The loss of beechnuts will create a huge void of food for wildlife, while the emerald ash borer will decrease the availability of a crucial cultural and economic material for Wabanaki basket makers. The White Oak Project is a collaborative effort to mitigate these imbalances by helping to establish some white oak, black walnut, butternut, and shagbark hickory to parts of the state where they can now thrive--by starting trees from seed and nurturing them until they are ready to go out on their own These long lived species produce huge amounts of food for up to 200 years; thus the project offers an opportunity for students to do something that will help foster resilience and abundance for generations into the future.