Last year, I attended Bioneers Conference as an observer and felt deeply moved and inspired by the people that I connected with in addition to the talks, discussion, and atmosphere of the event. This year, I decided to see if my middle school students would like to experience the conference with me. I wasn’t sure if the conference would be overwhelming or over their heads, but I decided that I wanted them to be exposed to my role models and peers in the environmental movement.
My co-educator, Brennan Bird and I lead the Sustainability and Garden Education Program at Alta Vista School in the Portola District in San Francisco. We brought 9 students and a few parents to Bioneers on Sunday, October 17th, 2015. This is what our students had to say about their experience….
Amira Beck’s “first impression was that it was almost like a fair. When I walked in I could feel the sensation I was going to learn a lot and it would be a memorable experience.”
As a group we saw a few speakers in the main conference room. Kokwe Dadzie expressed, “I really liked Michael Meade’s interpreted creation stories. It was amazing to see him drumming and telling stories at the same time.”
After the talk, we went to the educational exhibit for children, where Beyond Benign had many interactive science tables set up. Brooke said with a smile, “I had a lot of fun making solar panels out of blackberries. I found it fascinating!” Thalia explained that she “liked the alternative to styrofoam and that it was made out of mushrooms which organically break down back to the environment. This could help solve plastic trash waste.”
My co-educator, Brennan Bird and I lead the Sustainability and Garden Education Program at Alta Vista School in the Portola District in San Francisco. We brought 9 students and a few parents to Bioneers on Sunday, October 17th, 2015. This is what our students had to say about their experience….
Amira Beck’s “first impression was that it was almost like a fair. When I walked in I could feel the sensation I was going to learn a lot and it would be a memorable experience.”
As a group we saw a few speakers in the main conference room. Kokwe Dadzie expressed, “I really liked Michael Meade’s interpreted creation stories. It was amazing to see him drumming and telling stories at the same time.”
After the talk, we went to the educational exhibit for children, where Beyond Benign had many interactive science tables set up. Brooke said with a smile, “I had a lot of fun making solar panels out of blackberries. I found it fascinating!” Thalia explained that she “liked the alternative to styrofoam and that it was made out of mushrooms which organically break down back to the environment. This could help solve plastic trash waste.”
Later in the day, students went to different workshops that caught their interests. Kaya went to Numundo’s Goal Activating Workshop and said, “It was really helpful for me to think about my ideas and find new ones. My idea is to have a mobile veterinarian clinic so I could travel while I help stray and lost animals get spayed and neutered so they don’t make more animals that aren’t properly cared for. It helped me find my next step that I need to do to work toward my dream.”
Sam and his father, David, explored the conference together and went to a talk about web platforms and science. Sam said, “I learned about different societies and that there are different web platforms to help educate people about ways that help the earth.”
Sam and his father, David, explored the conference together and went to a talk about web platforms and science. Sam said, “I learned about different societies and that there are different web platforms to help educate people about ways that help the earth.”
Overall, I think the AVS middle school students learned a lot and will remember this experience. It made me realize that middle school students are not too young to be involved with these deep conversations. This is the appropriate time to learn to value the earth and community. Exposing youth to Bioneers will truly influence them to think innovatively and problem-solve the challenges we all face.