Our Mission

Evidence-based ecological education that reconnects Brooklyn's children to the natural world, fostering both environmental stewardship and personal growth through hands-on learning and engaged connection.

  • Engaged Learning for Young Minds

    Afterschool and in-school programs that immerse children in urban ecology, foraged cooking adventures, and nature-inspired art, theater, and movement. We transform curiosity into deep environmental connection through hands-on discovery.

  • Building Community Across Generations

    Workshops and classes that bring families and neighbors together, weaving connections between young and old while cultivating the practical skills and shared wisdom that create resilient, rooted communities.

  • Living Spaces for Connection & Creation

    From thriving school gardens to vibrant community clubhouses, we develop and nurture gathering places where people of all ages can grow food, craft with natural materials, share meals, and build the skills that connect us to each other and the earth.

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Our Values

WILD - Living with Loving Respect

We honor the earth and all its ecosystems, approaching nature with reverence and care. Being wild means living authentically, with deep respect for the interconnected web of life that sustains us all.

Joy

Joy is our foundation—the vibrant energy that transforms learning into celebration. Through laughter, play, and unbridled enthusiasm, we create experiences where children's natural exuberance meets the wild world, sparking connections that last a lifetime.

Curiosity

We nurture the natural wonder that drives all learning. Through asking questions, exploring mysteries, and approaching the unknown with open minds, we discover the incredible complexity and beauty of the natural world.

Compassionate Community

We recognize that true rewilding happens together. Through shared learning, mutual support, and kindness to all living beings, we build connections that strengthen both our human bonds and our relationship with the natural world.

Self-Reliance

Like wild plants pushing through city sidewalks, we develop the independence, confidence, practical capabilities, and creative problem-solving skills that come from mastering essential knowledge—from growing food to understanding natural cycles—empowering children to trust in their own abilities and adapt to any situation.

Mindfulness

We practice deep attention to the present moment, observing the subtle rhythms of nature and our inner landscapes with curiosity and care.

Imagination

We celebrate the innovative spirit that finds new solutions, expresses wonder through art and play, and reimagines how humans can live in harmony with nature. Like nature itself, we are endlessly creative and adaptive.

Reciprocity

Reciprocity is the heartbeat of all healthy relationships—with nature, with each other, and with ourselves. We actively practice the sacred exchange of giving and receiving, understanding that true abundance flows when we tend to the world that tends to us, creating cycles of care that regenerate communities and ecosystems alike.

The Crisis We Face:

Children Are Disconnected from Nature

THE INDOOR GENERATION

  • Children today spend 90% of their time indoors (Children & Nature Network)

  • Only 6% of children aged 9-13 play outside independently each week

  • Kids average 7+ hours daily on screens vs. <1 hour outdoors (American Academy of Pediatrics)

THE COST OF DISCONNECTION

  • Children in environmental justice communities face 40% higher asthma rates (NYC Health Department)

  • Mental health crisis: Youth anxiety increased 25% post-2020, with nature-disconnected children showing doubled rates of depression and ADHD (American Psychological Association, 2023)

  • Self-reliance deficit: 70% of teens cannot perform basic life skills like cooking, basic first aid, or problem-solving without digital assistance (National Youth Survey, 2022)

  • Resilience collapse: Children with limited outdoor experience show 50% lower stress tolerance and difficulty adapting to challenges (Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2023)

  • Low-income neighborhoods have 3x less green space access than affluent areas (Trust for Public Land)

BROOKLYN'S UNIQUE CHALLENGES

  • Brooklyn has the lowest per capita parkland in NYC - only 7,000 acres for 2.7 million residents (NYC Parks)

  • Less than 40% of NYC elementary schools have outdoor learning spaces (NYC School Construction Authority)

  • 23% of Brooklyn residents live in food deserts with limited fresh produce access (USDA Food Access Research Atlas)

What happens if…

We reconnect to nature.

ACADEMIC IMPACT

  • Students in schools with outdoor learning programs show 27% improvement in standardized test scores (American Institutes for Research, 2005)

  • Nature-based learning increases engagement and retention by up to 95% (Environmental Education Association)

  • STEM achievement gaps persist in schools lacking hands-on environmental education

HEALTH & DEVELOPMENT CRISIS

  • Children with nature exposure show reduced ADHD symptoms (Kuo & Taylor, 2004)

  • Regular nature contact can reduce childhood obesity rates by 50% (Bell et al., 2008)

  • Mental health issues increase as outdoor time decreases (Louv, 2008)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

  • Brooklyn's most underserved communities have the least access to quality environmental education

  • Climate change will disproportionately impact these same communities

  • Without ecological literacy, children cannot become environmental advocates for their neighborhoods

our solution

Hands-on ecological education that connects children to the natural world through:

In-school enrichment programs - native plant gardens, habitat building, pollinator studies, ecological science grounded in self-reliance and reciprocity

After-school programs - Cooking, gardening, STEM exploration, journalism, theater, arts integration

Farm field trips - Real-world connections to food systems and agriculture

Teacher training - Building capacity for nature-based, practical learning

why rewild?

Rewilding means restoring natural ecosystems AND our human connection to them.

Beyond Traditional Environmental Education

Traditional Approach:

  • Classroom walls separate children from nature

  • Abstract concepts without lived experience

  • Learning about the environment instead of with it

  • Knowledge stays in the head, not the heart, and is easily forgotten

Brooklyn Rewilders Approach:

  • Joy-driven immersive outdoor experiences that spark wonder

  • Curiosity-led hands-on discovery in real urban ecosystems

  • Reciprocal relationships with living systems—we learn from nature while caring for it

  • Building self-reliant skills through direct practice with wild foods, natural materials, and seasonal rhythms

  • Developing ecological intuition through mindful observation and embodied learning

  • Creating community connections between children, families, and the natural world

our programs

Three Pillars of Engagement

🌱 IN-SCHOOL ENRICHMENT

  • Native plant school gardens

  • Pollinator habitat creation

  • Ecological science curriculum

  • Cross-curricular integration

  • Serving 100 - 600+ students per school

🍂 AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS

  • Cooking with garden harvest

  • STEM through nature exploration

  • Arts and ecology integration

  • Community building

  • 12 students per class

🚜 FARM CONNECTIONS

  • Local farm field trips

  • Food & fiber system education

  • Regenerative agricultural practices

  • Seed-to-table, field-to-fashion, and natural dyeing and crafting experiences

Our Arts & Letters United kids releasing trout at the

the brooklyn rewilders experience

What Makes Us Different

🔬 STEM Integration

  • Real scientific observation

  • Data collection and analysis

  • Understanding ecological relationships

  • Problem-solving through nature

🎨 Creative Expression

  • Nature-inspired art projects

  • Storytelling and writing

  • Photography and documentation

  • Cultural connections to land

👨‍🍳 Culinary Education

  • Garden-to-table cooking

  • Nutrition education

  • Food preservation techniques

  • Cultural food traditions

  • Guest instruction from famous chefs, farmers, and food entrepreneurs

🌍 Systems Thinking

  • Understanding interconnectedness

  • Climate change education

  • Sustainability practices

  • Community resilience

our impact model

Addressing Critical Gaps

Today's children face unprecedented challenges: 40% report chronic anxiety, 60% lack basic practical skills like cooking or problem-solving, and average screen time exceeds 7 hours daily. Traditional education fails to build the self-reliance, resilience, and real-world competence children need to thrive in an uncertain future.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT (Within 6 months)

  • 75% of children identify 10+ local edible/medicinal plants and confidently forage with supervision

  • Students show 40% improvement in science engagement and 30% reduction in anxiety symptoms through hands-on ecological learning and outdoor time

  • Children demonstrate mastery of 5+ practical skills: fire-building, basic cooking, plant identification, natural crafts, weather reading—building confidence and self-efficacy

  • 90% of families report stronger parent-child bonds and improved child emotional regulation through shared nature experiences

LONG-TERM OUTCOMES (1-3 years)

  • Youth become community educators, leading neighborhood nature walks and teaching younger children wild skills

  • Students make autonomous healthy choices: choosing whole foods, spending time outdoors, reducing screen time by 30% and reported stress levels by 25%

  • Children demonstrate systems thinking and increased emotional resilience by explaining local food webs, seasonal cycles, and their own role in natural systems

  • 80% of program alumni take leadership roles in school environmental clubs, community gardens, or climate action groups

COMMUNITY RIPPLE EFFECTS (3-5 years)

  • Families transform daily practices: 60% start home composting, 40% grow some of their own food, families spend 25% more time in local parks

  • Schools integrate nature-based learning: partnering teachers report increased outdoor classroom time and cross-curricular nature connections

  • Neighborhoods see ecological restoration: student-initiated projects create pollinator gardens, remove invasive species, establish community food forests

  • Youth advocate for policy change: graduates testify at city council meetings, organize climate strikes, lead campaigns for green schoolyards and urban rewilding initiatives

Measured Through:

Direct observation • Family surveys • Academic performance tracking • Community project documentation • Youth leadership roles • Policy engagement records

target communities

THE DIVERSE DIASPORA of brooklyn

  • PRIMARY FOCUS:

    • Elementary and middle schools in Brooklyn

    • Communities with limited green space

    • Areas with high environmental justice concerns

    • Schools lacking outdoor education resources

  • PARTNERSHIP SCHOOLS:

    • PS 9 (Prospect Heights)

    • Arts & Letters United (Bedford-Stuyvescent)

    • PS 133 (Park Slope)

    • Expanding to 5 additional schools, Years 1-3

    • 5 schools by Year 4

  • COMMUNITY CENTERS:

    • After-school programs

    • Community gardens partnerships

    • Local farm collaborations

Partnership opportunities

Building the Rewilding Movement

SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTNERSHIPS

Curriculum integration support

Professional development programs

Sustainability policy development

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

GrowNYC school gardens

Brooklyn Botanic Garden education

Local urban farms

Environmental justice groups

CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS

Whole Foods Market education

Patagonia environmental grants

Local restaurants & farm-to-table connections

UNIVERSITY COLLABORATIONS

Research partnerships

Student teacher placements

Program evaluation support

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