Discussions

Your Name and Title:
Julie Elledge, Executive Director

School or Organization Name:
Story Quest Institute

Co-Presenter Name(s):
Gayle Berthiaume

Area of the World from Which You Will Present:
 Wyoming, Minnesota, United States

Language in Which You Will Present:
 English

Target Audience(s):
 Teachers

Short Session Description (one line):
The story of the last black-footed ferrets holds a unique promise to inspire students around the world to collaborate to help protect endangered species.

Full Session Description (as long as you would like):
With a growing number of youth disconnected from nature, and human impact affecting the earth’s ability to sustain life, engaging children’s minds in critical reasoning, deep thinking skills, and media literacy as well as their hearts and bodies with personalized, relevant, and inspirational learning experiences has never been more critical to influencing the future decisions that students will face as consumers of the outdoors and as  voters who will protect wildlife and their natural habitats.

The story of the last black-footed ferrets holds a unique promise to inspire people into action.  It is the story of people, government, non-profits, zoos, and private landowners that came together to save the most endangered mammal in North America. Through collaboration, these brave individuals forged a successful wildlife management story that offers hope and direction to others who want to create a new narrative for endangered species and the land upon which they depend. It is a story that must be told.

After hearing this story and using this challenge based learning model, students can connect with other students and experts from around the world to come up with possible solutions and action plans for their area of the world. Students are engaged in scientific inquiry, outdoor education, storytelling, advocacy, and many other 21st century learning skills. This session will explain the story and the resources available.

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session: http://storyquestinstitute.org