Activate City Leadership
Strategies for Systems Change
Creating Equitable Access to Nature
Outcomes for Children and Youth
100

Engage city leaders, residents, youth, and key partners

Who are stakeholders?

100

Cities achieve ____when children and families stand on relatively equal footing, and race no longer predicts resources and opportunities for nature connection.This comes about through implementation of inclusive policies and practices and elimination of institutional racism.

What is racial equity?

100

Increase and improve nature access and infrastructure by transforming physical spaces to provide kids with hands-on outdoor fun including boulders, streams, paths, looping trails to get kids moving, exploring, and learning.

What are Nature Play Spaces?

100

Learning in nature can support improved relationship skills, and reduce stress, anger, and aggression.

What is social emotional wellbeing?

200

Engage community members/Garner input from community members

What is community engagement?

200

Espoused activities of institutions, coalitions, networks, and other entities. Also, within the entity, the procedures, guidelines, or informal shared habits that comprise their work.

What is practices?

200

Improve conditions for community wellness within a city through nature-filled outdoor spaces that offer students, teachers, parents and community members places to play, learn, explore and grow during and after school hours.

What are Green Schoolyards?

200

Spending time in nature can help children focus their attention and boost performance in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.

What is academic achievement?

300

Convene agency leaders and partners

Who are mayors?

300

The allocation and distribution of money, people, knowledge, information, and other assets such as infrastructure to create change.

What are resource flows?

300

 Increase time, number, and quality of experiences in nature for children ages 0 – 5, in your city and support other city priorities, such as school readiness, health and wellness, and equity in child development.

What is Early Childhood Nature Connection?

300

Access to parks and green spaces fosters more movement and play and reduces the risk of obesity.

What is physical activity/well being?

400

Build public will

What is public will?

400

The distribution of decision-making power (perceived or real), authority, and both formal and informal influence among individuals and organizations.

What is power dynamics?

400

Elevate nature connections as a priority through partnership across multiple city departments to provide programming for youth to connect with nature at these community information hubs within neighborhoods.

What is a Nature-Smart Library?

400

Development of natural spaces and access to these spaces strengthens the ability of human and natural systems to withstand and respond to changes in the earth’s climate.

What is resilience or sustainability?

500

Guide vision and strategy

What is a vision?

500

This condition of systems change undergirds the other conditions and when addressed can be the most transformative.

What are attitudes and beliefs?

500

Developing the voice, connection to nature, and engagement in city planning processes for youth ages 16-24.  

What is Youth Leadership Development?

500

Meaningful outdoor experiences benefit children and inspire them to love and care for nature.

What is environmental ethos?

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