Nicodemus Wilderness Project
Encyclopedia
Founded in 2000, the Nicodemus Wilderness Project (NWP) is a nonprofit organization
in the United States which provides global experiential education
and service-learning
opportunities for youth to help save the natural environment
while developing their own leadership skills.
The mission of the Nicodemus Wilderness Project is: "To protect wildlife and our environment and to build future conservation leaders by engaging youth in environmental stewardship projects worldwide."
NWP vision statement: "We envision that that all young people will take personal responsibility and action toward protecting wildlife and the environment in their communities through NWP projects, and that these inspired youth volunteers will become the next generation of conservation leaders worldwide."
NWP values:
program includes multiple scholarships that are awarded annually (since 2005) to provides recognition and funds for youth volunteers (ages 13-21) who demonstrate exemplary personal leadership, initiative, and environmental stewardship in their projects. The goals of the Apprentice Ecologist Initiative are to:
Nicodemus Wilderness Project volunteers (including at-risk and disadvantaged
youth) have completed Apprentice Ecologist projects around the world. Some examples of past projects include trash cleanups, tree planting, community/school recycling programs, wildlife protection plans, conservation education programs, graffiti removal, pollution/contamination prevention, nonnative vegetation removal, renewable energy
demonstrations, trail building and maintenance, soil erosion
prevention, and rain gardens. Current project results, essays, and photos are published on the Nicodemus Wilderness Project's Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologistshttp://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist as an educational resource for future youth volunteers.
” approach, where they had people provide input about the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that characterize or affect the organization. In this strategic plan, they sought to: 1) achieve a renewed focus on those programs that help to fulfill their mission, 2) direct their resources in a way that builds programs and makes a positive difference to youth and the environment, 3) produce a planning document that serves as a roadmap for the future direction of their programshttp://www.wildernessproject.org/pdf/Strategic%20Plan_final.pdf.
s in that it has applied >95% of funds toward projects and <5% of funds toward administration, business process overhead or fundraising
since it was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2000http://www.guidestar.org/pqShowGsReport.do?partner=networkforgood&ein=85-0472006.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
in the United States which provides global experiential education
Experiential education
Experiential education is a philosophy of education that describes the process that occurs between a teacher and student that infuses direct experience with the learning environment and content. The term is mistakenly used interchangeably with experiential learning...
and service-learning
Service-learning
Service-learning is a method of teaching, learning and reflecting, frequently youth service, throughout the community. As a teaching method, it falls under the philosophy of experiential education...
opportunities for youth to help save the natural environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
while developing their own leadership skills.
The mission of the Nicodemus Wilderness Project is: "To protect wildlife and our environment and to build future conservation leaders by engaging youth in environmental stewardship projects worldwide."
NWP vision statement: "We envision that that all young people will take personal responsibility and action toward protecting wildlife and the environment in their communities through NWP projects, and that these inspired youth volunteers will become the next generation of conservation leaders worldwide."
NWP values:
- Youth volunteers become leaders when they are given the freedom to identify and solve environmental problems on their own.
- Wildlife and the environment benefit from litter cleanups, native tree plantings, nonnative plant removal, and community recycling programs.
- Young people develop leadership skills and confidence, which helps them become responsible citizens, when they are empowered to make a difference.
- Stewardship of the environment, for the benefit of wildlife and communities, requires long-term commitment from concerned citizens.
Apprentice Ecologist Initiative
The primary program of the Nicodemus Wilderness Project is the Apprentice Ecologist Initiative. This environmental educationEnvironmental education
Environmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to...
program includes multiple scholarships that are awarded annually (since 2005) to provides recognition and funds for youth volunteers (ages 13-21) who demonstrate exemplary personal leadership, initiative, and environmental stewardship in their projects. The goals of the Apprentice Ecologist Initiative are to:
- Elevate youth into leadership roles by engaging them in environmental cleanup and conservation projects,
- Empower young volunteers to rebuild the environmental and social well-being of our communities,
- Improve local living conditions for both citizens and wildlife through education, activism, and action.
Nicodemus Wilderness Project volunteers (including at-risk and disadvantaged
Disadvantaged
The "disadvantaged" is a generic term for individuals or groups of people who:* Face special problems such as physical or mental disability * Lack money or economic support....
youth) have completed Apprentice Ecologist projects around the world. Some examples of past projects include trash cleanups, tree planting, community/school recycling programs, wildlife protection plans, conservation education programs, graffiti removal, pollution/contamination prevention, nonnative vegetation removal, renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
demonstrations, trail building and maintenance, soil erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
prevention, and rain gardens. Current project results, essays, and photos are published on the Nicodemus Wilderness Project's Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologistshttp://www.wildernessproject.org/apprentice_ecologist as an educational resource for future youth volunteers.
Strategic Planning
The Nicodemus Wilderness Project has followed the 20-step process as outlined in “Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations” by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services to create a strategic plan. In creating this plan, they surveyed members, board members, volunteers, and donors to incorporate their thoughts about the Nicodemus Wilderness Project and it environmental stewardship program into this plan. They used the “SWOT analysisSWOT analysis
SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture...
” approach, where they had people provide input about the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that characterize or affect the organization. In this strategic plan, they sought to: 1) achieve a renewed focus on those programs that help to fulfill their mission, 2) direct their resources in a way that builds programs and makes a positive difference to youth and the environment, 3) produce a planning document that serves as a roadmap for the future direction of their programshttp://www.wildernessproject.org/pdf/Strategic%20Plan_final.pdf.
Financial
The Nicodemus Wilderness Project is somewhat unique among nonprofit organizationNonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
s in that it has applied >95% of funds toward projects and <5% of funds toward administration, business process overhead or fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
since it was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2000http://www.guidestar.org/pqShowGsReport.do?partner=networkforgood&ein=85-0472006.