Community for Learning
Grants Awarded
The NM Community for Learning Middle School Outdoor Education Club is intended to decrease obstacles to experiencing the outdoors and aim to bolster socio-emotional and leadership skills and environment, history, and culture awareness for a diverse population of students, including Native American, African/American, Hispanic, refugees, and special education students. This initiative incorporates unique Albuquerque Public School teachers' skills to enhance a system that balances outdoor recreation with crucial competencies. The club offers a diverse outdoor skill curriculum and collaborates with local organizations for service projects that contribute to the community, fostering students to become future stewards of the outdoors. The objective is to utilize grant funding to enrich the curriculum and guarantee that all students can access equally exceptional experiences and outdoor activities.
New Mexico Community for Learning (NMCFL) was established in 2007 to respond to the low academic performance of New Mexico youth by providing tutoring services and after-school programs. Our mission is to provide a path to success by empowering children and families. Since 2007, NMCFL has provided successful out-of-school time (OST) services designed to improve outcomes for NM children and families. With eighteen consecutive years of providing OST in Title I schools, the organization has managed a variety of different OST programs. Since 2008, NMCFL has received consecutive 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grants. These are the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to OST. NMCFL currently provides OST services at fourteen schools; twelve are in the Albuquerque Public School (APS) district, and two are Charter schools. We currently partner with many local entities to provide services. NMCFLwith three APS Middle schools: McKinley, Wilson and Hayes to offer an Outdoor Education Club free of charge to at-risk middle school students that, prior to participating in the program, had not had the opportunity to participate in activities such as, paddle boarding, hiking, rappelling, rafting, biking and many other outdoor experiences. Research shows, outdoor programs reduce aggression, improve emotional regulation, and strengthen self-esteem- especially for youth exposed to trauma. Outdoor activities also meet core needs such as, connection with peers and older adults. We have a history of designing and implementing innovations to at-risk students to enhance equitable opportunities and life long growth and development.