Environmental Explorers program brings public health to kids’ backyards

Currently in a pilot phase with 20 students, the program has attracted participants from states including California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Organizers hope to expand the program and work with schools to offer it year-round.

“Middle school is such an interesting period in our lives,” said Erica Walker, assistant professor of epidemiology and founder of the Community Noise Lab. “Middle schoolers are old enough to think deeply about anything and everything, but they are often viewed as too young to participate meaningfully in their communities. We have created an opportunity that allows them to do both.”

The program covers 25 environmental health topics including air quality, food deserts, the importance of greenspaces, illegal dumping, overfishing, carbon footprints and public policy around these issues. Each module, which students complete at their own pace, features short, pre-recorded lectures. The modules conclude with a quiz and a community engagement project, such as using a noise-measuring app or conducting a local greenspace inventory.

Thirteen-year-old Chloe McDougal from Mississippi—who completed all the quizzes with perfect scores—wrote about her experience in the program in an essay that will be published in the Jackson Advocate. McDougal’s essay points to the program’s ethos of helping young learners become knowledgeable about environmental challenges and inspiring them to take action.

“When I joined a local park clean-up crew, I didn’t expect to feel so connected to the land and the people around me,” McDougal said. “We picked up trash, cleared trails and planted native plants. It was hard work, but knowing I was helping preserve a space that many families, children and seniors rely on for exercise and relaxation made it all worth it.”

Along with merit badges for completing modules, students in the program can earn points that can be redeemed at the Brown University Bookstore. Those who complete all modules receive a certificate of completion and are invited to a virtual graduation event.

The online program runs through October and will re-open next June.

“Our program fills a unique need,” Walker said. “If you read the headlines, you'd think that we should be afraid of pretty much everything—from the air we breathe to the food we eat. With these students, we aim to replace fear with knowledge, while encouraging them to take a leading role in their communities.”