We are using cookies to give a better service experience. By using our services you agree to use cookies. Read more

Accept
Reject
search
clear

Gateway to the Great Outdoors

Gateway provides outdoor education for urban, low-income, at-risk youth that instill a value of science, teamwork, and adventure.

Gateway to the Great Outdoors runs weekly enrichment and after-school programs at low-income schools focused on environmentalism, interactive science learning, and mentorship. These sessions are paired with monthly outdoor adventure trips such as hiking, rock climbing, and camping.

Shortlisted

Overview

HundrED shortlisted this innovation

HundrED has shortlisted this innovation to one of its innovation collections. The information on this page has been checked by HundrED.

2015

Established

-

Children

1

Countries
Updated
June 2018
All of the scholars who have taken part in this program have grown in their abilities to treat the environment with respect and have gained a deeper understanding of the role that humans play while interacting with the world around us.

About the innovation

What is Gateway to the Great Outdoors

Students in low-income urban schools lack access to green spaces due to housing, safety, transportation, and more. Students without these resources are not afforded the opportunity to see practical applications of science curriculum. In addition, a lack of exposure to safe outdoor environments prevents students from developing practical skills and knowledge, while their privileged counterparts are free to explore and learn about the world around them. Gateway is unique in that it not only seeks to expose students to the outdoors and offers of nature, but it does so through integrated science curriculum. Thus, participants in the program are able to not only reap benefits in the classroom, but in their personal lives as well.According to A Community Partnership to Facilitate Urban Elementary Students’ Access to the Outdoors, “Research indicates that when schools use the environment as an integrating theme across the curriculum, their student test scores in the traditional subject areas such as reading, writing, mathematics, and science go up”. Additionally, there is extensive evidence to support improvements in mental health and wellbeing as a result of nature experiences. For example, in a survey of over 400 children who participated in a “wilderness challenge programme”, “the majority reported an increased sense of personal autonomy, improved self-concept, a greater capacity for taking action and being decisive, and an improvement in their interpersonal skills after participating in wilderness challenge programmes.” (Page 126 of Children and Their Environments: Learning, Using, and Designing Spaces). Gateway serves to bridge the gap between science and its applications in the environment for students in low-income urban schools. It fosters curiosity through challenging students to engage in atypical outdoor learning opportunities. The program provides students with a path to the outdoors where they are able to see practical applications to science curriculum.

Implementation steps

Reach out to GGO
Contact GGO if your school is a good fit for our program

Spread of the innovation

loading map...

Similar innovations

Sign up for our newsletter

Don’t miss news and opportunities to engage with HundrED