Featured image: In Jackson, Mississippi, students attend a National Geographic Society Slingshot Challenge event hosted by the Mississippi Museum of Art, where they learn more about water issues in their local communities.
Photo by Suzi Altman/PictureGroup/National Geographic
Dr. Deborah Grayson, Chief Education Officer, wrote this post
At the National Geographic Society, it is our mission to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. We do this by supporting and elevating the work of our Explorers, as well as a global community of educators and young people who use an Explorer Mindset to learn about the world and how they can take action to make it a better place. These Explorers, educators, and young people are leading the charge towards new discoveries, innovative solutions, and positive change in their local communities.
As the Chief of Education Officer, my team and I have the opportunity to engage and collaborate with Explorers, educators, and youth every day. We learn with them, work with them, and celebrate their accomplishments as they continually push the boundaries of what is possible, and what it truly means to be an explorer in today’s world.
A Month-long Celebration
In the month of May, National Geographic is celebrating youth around the world who are the next generation of changemakers, as well as the educators who support and inspire them. Some of these young people participated in our annual Slingshot Challenge, others have spent time refining their goals and expanding their knowledge through an Externship program run by the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy, and much more. It is a true delight to see how curiosity, empathy, problem-solving, and determination are leading youth to where they are now. I speak for my entire team when I say that we can’t wait to see where they go next.
As a part of this celebration of the Next Generation of Explorers, you will see two more blog posts in May that will highlight the accomplishments and contributions of young people who are tackling critical issues in their communities. First, on May 8th we will share a post focused on our annual Slingshot Challenge. On that day we will celebrate the contributions of all of our Challenge participants and the innovative ideas they shared with us. This post will also include a fresh-off-the-presses list of award recipients of our 2024 Challenge. We are SO excited for you to meet this year’s award recipients, and we’re equally thrilled to share some updates from our 2023 finalists and what they’ve been up to over the last year. On May 22, we will share a post highlighting inspiring stories from our Externship Alumni, including some alumni who have continued to pursue their work from the program and have taken action in their communities as part of a seed funding opportunity provided jointly by the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy.
Recognizing Educators
As we spend this month elevating the achievements of young people, we also recognize and celebrate the countless educators that have supported these youth changemakers on their journeys. Their success is also your success! At the National Geographic Society our admiration and support for educators is year-round, but as we approach Teacher Appreciation Week here in the United States, we send a special wish of gratitude to educators for the important work that you do. We see you and support you.
As an intentional part of our strategy, we’ve been asking educators to become thought partners with us and in their respective communities to build the capacity of others to cultivate their own Explorer Mindset. Over the past year, educators have served as Slingshot Challenge collaborators and have developed impactful ways for youth in their communities to participate in the Slingshot Challenge.
In Mississippi, educators and students from the Rosedale Freedom Project participated in a canoe excursion on the Mississippi River as part of a collaboration with the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. Through this collaboration, educators created opportunities for students to experience their local geographies and waterways and tell stories about their home in the Mississippi Delta via the Slingshot Challenge. At California State University-Bakersfield, National Geographic Explorer Brittney Beck created multiple case studies to help engage educators, students, and collaborators throughout California in the Slingshot Challenge. Here in Washington, D.C., educators associated with The Girl Scouts of our Nation’s Capital created an immersive event to support their Girl Scouts as they planned and executed Slingshot Challenge submission videos. Each Girl Scout that participated received a special patch and fulfilled a key requirement that makes them eligible to begin their Gold Award project, the most prestigious award for Girls Scouts.
These are just a few examples of the many creative ways educators are connecting with National Geographic to co-create immersive learning experiences that spark curiosity, and inspire learners of all ages, to learn about, care for, and protect our world.
The power of young people is vital to our mission as an organization, and we learn from them and alongside them every day. This next generation of Explorers represents an untold number of ideas, solutions, and stories that the world has yet to know. We are committed to supporting them as they learn and grow, and hope you will join us in celebrating them over the next several weeks.
We have so many more stories to share, and you’ll have the chance to read some of them over the next month as a part of this celebration. However, it’s important to note that just like our admiration for educators, our work with youth is a year-round endeavor. Programs like Explorer Classroom, Photo Camp, Externships, and Slingshot Challenge offer opportunities for youth to engage with the Explorer Mindset, discover new passions, and learn how to leverage their talents to create positive change.
You can learn more about the programs mentioned here and stay up to date with all of National Geographic’s work with young people by visiting NatGeo.Org/Youth.