Nature Explorer Backpack / Mochilas de Explorador

​Brushwood Center and partners across Lake County are teaming up this year to provide 1,500 bilingual Nature Explorer Backpacks / Mochilas de Explorador to youth and family members in Waukegan, North Chicago, Round Lake, and Highwood. 

In alignment with the recommendations from our recently released report, Health, Equity, and Nature: A Changing Climate in Lake County, IL this program aims to empower young people as change-makers to help address systemic environmental and health injustices in our communities.

This year, the Backpack contents and accompanying programs will focus on supporting children and their emotional health and wellbeing, using the stories of healing trauma on the land in Lake County (i.e., converted brownfield sites, the restored Waukegan dunes, etc.). Brushwood Center will provide activities, tools, and resources within the Backpacks for coping with individual and community climate anxiety through collective action and social emotional skill building.

2024 Backpack Contents:  
😊 Activities, tools, and resources for coping with individual and community climate anxiety.  

🖍️ Bilingual activity book, co-created with community artist Royce Galindo, that highlights sites of healing in Lake County: Planting Seeds; Exploring Your Feelings in Nature /  Plantando Semillas; Explorando Tus Sentimientos en la Naturaleza.

🌱 Nature field guides, parent resource guide, art supplies, first aid kits, magnifying lenses, and school supplies. ​

Impact: In 2023, the 1,200 Nature Explorer Backpacks reached 1,000+ youth and family members in Waukegan, North Chicago, Highwood, and Round Lake. Backpack distribution each year is tracked, including the number of people in each household who receive a Backpack, ages of children, and city of residence. 

Additionally, we will use surveys to measure outcomes at each distribution event including:
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1) confidence levels visiting nature sites as a family
2) wellbeing outcomes affiliated with the nature activities
3) identification of additional outdoor activities that would most benefit youth and families.

​Lastly, we are conducting follow up interviews with all of our program partners to gain insight into how families used the bags beyond our initial events and to improve the project’s success in the future.​

VIEW OUR 2023 IMPACT

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Project History

The Nature Explorer Backpack Project is a part of Brushwood Center’s It’s A W.I.N (Art and Wellness in Nature) program serving families from overburdened households in Waukegan, North Chicago, Round Lake, and Highwood. These communities were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing disproportionately higher cases and deaths from COVID-19, more severe financial tolls, and significant mental health challenges.

The Backpack Project began in the spring of 2020, as a result of Brushwood Center’s partners indicating a need for supplies and activities for families during the lockdown. Many of these families had to make difficult decisions when it came to budgeting, and purchasing supplies like backpacks became an extra burden. The backpacks alleviated some financial burden and provided nature and art resources to help families access the health benefits that come with spending time outside and exploring creative outlets.

How it Works

Partnership Coordination: Brushwood Center coordinates a collaborative of organizations who contribute to the Backpacks! Partners agree to provide backpack materials, volunteers or space for backpack assembly, and/or sites and community networks for backpack distribution.

Distribution: Backpacks are distributed at locally-organized events where families can engage in hands-on activities and nature walks, while learning how to use the bilingual (English & Spanish) materials in the backpacks. Nature Explorer Backpacks / Mochilas de Explorador encourages families to explore the natural spaces around them through activities focused on nurturing wellness and creativity.

2024 Distribution Partners:
Cool Learning Experience
Sharing our Shores (SOS)
Heart of the City (HOTC)
HACES Illinois 
Waukegan Public Library
Nuestro Center
Round Lake Area Public Library
Kids Rank
Round Lake Bilingual Parent Advisory 
North Chicago Library
Mano a Mano
​Warren Newport Public Library
Highwood Library

Thank you to Grainger's Generations and Veterans Business Resources Groups for helping Brushwood Center store and assemble the 2023 backpacks! Our staff pictured above at the 2023 assembly event.

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2024 Backpack Donors

​Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois  | The Buchanan Family Foundation | Community Outreach Council at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital
Grainger  | Grainger Foundation  | Jonathan Huisel | Synchrony  | Wintrust Community Banks
 
Sponsor the 2024 Nature Explorer Backpack/Mochilas de Explorador Project: 
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If you would like to Sponsor the backpack project, please contact our Director of Development, Mirja Spooner Haffner, to learn more at mspoonerhaffner@brushwoodcenter.org.