Supporting Diverse Students' Environmental Science Identities
Youth from non-dominant groups—whether racial and/ or ethnic groups, or others—often face identity-related barriers to participating in nature-based activities and science practices. Shared notions of “outdoorsy people” and “scientists,” for example, may be at odds with some people's sense of self and the ways their identities are expressed in the place they live, what they do, and with whom they associate. Identity-based obstacles can pose a serious challenge, then, if environmental educators desire for all young people to understand and care about biodiversity.