Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

-- Chinese proverb

 

 

 

 

 

 
The most beautiful
thing we can experience
is the mysterious.
It is the source of all true art and all science.
He to whom this emotion
is a stranger, who can
no longer pause
to wonder and stand
rapt in awe,
is as good as dead.
His eyes are closed.

-- Albert Einstein

 

 

 

 

 

 
We have failed
to hear the tongues
in trees, read the books
in brooks, heed the sermons in stones, and find
the good in
everything.

-- paraphrasing Shakespeare

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

-- Margaret Mead

 

 

 

 

A Smorgasbord
of Creation Care Programs
for Students
Compiled by Wendee Holtcamp

I. Target Earth
This nonprofit organization follows the biblical call to be faithful stewards of everything God created, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Serve the Earth, Serve the Poor is their motto. They are active in fifteen countries, and offer several long and short-term programs for students. Below are the main programs offered.

Website: http://www.targetearth.org
Email: info@targetearth.org.

TE's Global Stewardship Study Program (GSSP)
College undergraduate students of all majors can live and study for one semester in the heart of the Belize rainforest, at the Jaguar Creek Environmental Research and Educational Center. Classes include theology and ethics, language, and biology/ecology. "The purpose of the Global Stewardship Study Program (GSSP) at Jaguar Creek in Belize is to provide Christian based undergraduate education that is cross-cultural and interdisciplinary, with a focus on the welfare of all God's creation, both human and non-human, through the sustainable stewardship of the earth's interconnected systems."

Website: http://www.targetearth.org/gssphome.html

The Global Education Institute
GEI is a joint program of Target Earth, World Vision, and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA. The Institute is for college students wishing to learn about sustainable development in one of three locations: Southern Africa, Central America, or Philadelphia. The program complements majors in Environmental Studies, Community Development, International Relations, Health, Biology, Sociology, Agriculture, Anthropology, Theology/Missiology, Government, or Law and Business.

Email: teams@targetearth.org

SCHEME
Target Earth's Annual Student Leadership Training Conference This week-long student leadership training retreat includes prayer, fellowship, and learning about the biblical basis for creation care. Students attend workshops and training sessions on lots of different issues, including forming environmental groups on their campuses, the nuts and bolts of campus recycling, interpersonal and communication skills, and outreaching to groups of people unlike themselves. The retreat takes place at the Hidden Lakes Center in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains. Regular cost is around $250 which includes food, lodging, printed material, training, speakers, and field trips. Twenty scholarships are offered.

Website: http://www.targetearth.org/campus_hidden.html

Alternative Spring Breaks
Want to do something for Christ during spring break? Target Earth helps campuses design "Alternative Spring Breaks" that give students a chance to serve the earth and the poor. In the Spring of 1999, students in Chattanooga, Tennessee completed several community projects: they built container gardens for elderly folks, engaged in creative arts projects with kids, and performed a play for elementary schools that highlighted the community's struggle to get a polluted creek cleaned up and to encourage kids not to swim in it.

Email: Campus@targetearth.org

Rescue God's Creation
Participate in a week-long Lobby Training in Washington D.C. during spring break. Participants make a real difference in having their voices heard by Congress, and learn how the American government works, firsthand.

Website: http://www.targetearth.org/campus_dcflier.html

II. Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies This organization offers retreats, community outreach, and university-level courses and semester programs with credit transferable to many different colleges and universities. Au Sable has programs in the Great Lakes Forest of Michigan, Puget Sound (Whidbey Island) in Washington, East Africa and South India.

Website: http://www.ausable.org

Academic Program
College juniors and seniors engage in field studies and ecology and theology coursework at one of the 4 Au Sable Institute locations. Students live at the Au Sable location for the semester and earn college credit. According to their website, " Life at Au Sable is that of a supportive Christian community. Students, staff, faculty, and families share in learning, recreation, and worship."

Website: http://www.ausable.org/ap.main.cfm

K-12 Community Education
Au Sable Great Lakes (MI) and Pacific Rim (WA) offers several day long field trips for school groups from grades K through 12. Students can restore prairie, learn how to identify flowers, trees, birds or mammals, or participate in a water quality, air quality, or forest and wildlife study. Au Sable provides a curriculum for every grade level that can be used to supplement learning before and after the field trip.

III. Earth Ministry
Earth Ministry is based in Seattle, Washington and offers various programs throughout the Pacific Northwest. Though most of their programs are not geared specifically for youth, most of the events they organize are family- and youth-friendly, including field trips, speakers, and educational and celebratory gatherings.

Website: http://www.earthministry.org

Calendar: http://www.earthministry.org/emcal.htm


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