A Non-formal Environmental Education Curriculum Using Raptor Ambassadors to Foster Meaningful Relationships between Diverse Learners of All Ages and the More-than-human World

This capstone project aimed to create an all ages non-formal environmental education curriculum that intentionally fostered connections between Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and environmental education and between students of all cultures and the more-than-human world. Research suggested that BIPOC were underrepresented in environmental education programs because many programs were grounded in cultural narratives that overlooked BIPOC perspectives and epistemologies, an injustice known as “ontological distance.” The author’s experience as an educator at The Raptor Center suggested that ambassador raptors such as red-tailed hawks offered highly-engaging subjects for non-formal environmental education activities, particularly for lessons attempting new or unorthodox approaches. Therefore, this project framed ambassador birds of prey through BIPOC lenses to create a curriculum of learning activities in which BIPOC students of all ages could see themselves represented. The epistemologies of BIPOC cultures often featured “extrarational pedagogies,” which take more holistic approaches to learning about and knowing the more-than-human world than the often rational science-only pedagogies used in the majority of environmental education programs. Research suggested that these extrarational pedagogies – such as emotional, spiritual, intuitive, aesthetic, and creative learning – could not only increase the visibility of BIPOC in environmental education but also increase the effectiveness of conservation messaging by helping students from all cultures feel more connected to and responsible for the natural world, particularly in cities and suburbs