Monday 9am/9pmET

Winner of Dreamvisions 7 Radio Network’s
Spring Host Extravaganza 2019!

The Story Walking Radio Hour with Wendy Fachon

Tune in to Nature’s loving vibes. Listen to nature-inspired stories and interviews with environmental educators for new ideas about how to make our world a better place. Sustainable Living Newswriter, nature walker and youth educator Wendy Nadherny Fachon hosts the Story Walker Radio Hour to talk about issues that matter and to introduce you to people who are coming up with creative… sensible… solutions. Let’s engage with Earth… with Spirit… and with one another… heart to heart… to solve problems and co-create more meaningful life stories. By integrating environmentalism into our professional vocations and passionate avocations, we contribute to building a healthier, more beautiful and sustainable world

www.storywalking.com  and www.wendyfachon.blog
Join Wendy on facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/StoryWalkingRadio

Broadcasts Weekly Monday 9am & 9pmET

Wendy’s Planet Health This Week

Monday 9am/9pmET

Difference Makers: Cultivating Climate Literate Students

Guest: Jeanine Silversmith, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Environmental Education Association (RIEEA)

A survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that nearly half of American teenagers say they have learned either little or nothing about the causes or ways to reduce the effects of climate change, yet 61 percent say the issue of climate change is very important to them personally. Other surveys find that four out of five U.S. adults support climate change education for young people regardless of geographic location or political affiliation. While the Climate Change Education Act has just been reintroduced in the U.S. Congress, Rhode Island has introduced the 2021 Climate Literacy Act. This local bill seeks to ensure that all Rhode Island public school students become environmentally and climate literate by the time they graduate from twelfth grade. In this episode, we’ll be talking about the Rhode Island bill, what it entails and the legislative process itself. We will also discuss civic engagement opportunities for adults and students to voice their support or concerns regarding the legislation. The show will begin with a story walk that suggests ways to infuse effective environmental education into the learning plans for all grade levels, K-12.

Our guest Jeanine Silversmith, Executive Director of the Rhode Environmental Education Association (RIEEA), has been working with State Senator Valarie Lawson and State Representative Terri Cortvriend to formulate and introduce the 2021 Climate Literacy Act. Silversmith has a background in both formal and informal education. She started her career as a classroom science and math teacher at the middle and high school level, and then managed the Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo’s award-winning Girls for Planet Earth program. In 2010, Silversmith founded RI Families in Nature, a family hiking club, and, in 2015, she published The Rhode Island Family Hiking Guide and Journal. Known for her collaborative leadership approach and attention to detail, she has helped RIEEA build its capacity and advance its mission and vision for environmental, climate and sustainability education.

INFORMATION RESOURCES

Story Walking Photoblog: School-based Nature Trail – https://netwalkri.com/blog/f/school-nature-trail

RIEEA website and “Take Action” Page – http://rieea.org/2021-climate-literacy-act/

Text of House Bill H 5625
http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/billtext21/housetext21/h5625.htm

Text of and Senate Bill S-464
http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/billtext21/senatetext21/s0464.htm

Rhode Island General Assembly website database – http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/pages/legislation.aspx

Rhode Island Families in Nature website and Family Hiking Guide information – http://www.rifamiliesinnature.org/

Learn more at www.storywalking.com ,  https://netwalkri.com email wendy@netwalkri.com or call 401 529-6830. Connect with Wendy to order copies of Fiddlesticks, The Angel Heart or Storywalker Wild Plant Magic Cards.

Subscribe to Wendy’s blog Writing with Wendy at www.wendyfachon.blog.
Join Wendy on facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/StoryWalkingRadio
The Empowerment Factory https://www.theempowermentfactory.org/

BIO: Story Walking Radio Host, Wendy Nadherny Fachon empowers young people, by showing how to step forward into each new life learning adventure with clarity, confidence and positive energy. Wendy began her youth work training in the school of life by observing and listening to her own daughter and son as they faced the challenges of growing up with bullying, fickle friends, and tough teachers. When her nephews, aged 5 and 7, lost their father on 9/11, she joined the boys and her sister on their bumpy journey along the road to recovery from deep trauma and upheaval.

As Wendy’s children grew into their independence, she entered into youth work and earned her RIPQA certification, Rhode Island’s 21^st Century Community Learning Center program quality training. At the same time, she joined a holistic community, which informed and inspired her Story Walking practice, and in 2011, Wendy created a lyrical Storywalker CD, Fiddlesticks, to introduce the concept of Story Walking to children and parents. Wendy’s stories and associated lessons combine mindful walking, word play, environmental education and spirituality to nurture the personal development of her followers. From there, Wendy began leading programs for in-school and out-of-school-time (OST) enrichment.

One of her first youth work assignments was to form an after-school walking club to help an unusually obese child get more physically active, make friends, and increase self-esteem. At the core of the Story Walking practice is the concept that each individual is the main character in his or her own unique life story, holding the power to weave the fabric of that story through the conscious energetic choices of words, thoughts, intentions and actions, elicited in response to both fortunate and unfortunate situations. Inevitably, each story becomes an important piece of the great storied tapestry of humanity.

In 2014, Wendy published her Storywalker children’s book, The Angel Heart. Dedicated to her late father, this poetic story presents a metaphor for finding the peace, love and joy within ourselves when confronted with sadness, loss and grief.

In 2016, Wendy’s faced the unimaginable, when her 19-year-old son, Neil, was diagnosed with DIPG, an aggressive, rare, inoperable form of the brain stem cancer. Doctors said he would be dead within three months. Neil’s story was an epic battle on multiple fronts, where he rose above overwhelming adversity to outlive his prognosis enough to create a lasting impact on the world, before finally departing from his physical body. His story continues beyond his passing, as his spirit guides Wendy and the rest of his family in finding ways to bring greater hope and joy to children experiencing life threatening illnesses and other challenges. After a year of caregiving and a time of intense grief, Wendy was guided back to her Story Walking practice with a higher sense of purpose and seeks to expand her practice through the Story Walking Radio Hour.

Affiliated with The Empowerment Factory, Wendy is recognized for her creative collaboration with many youth-focused organizations and Title I schools. She is also a regular contributor to Natural Awakenings healthy living magazine, writing articles about children, health, and environmental issues.

Learn more at storywalking.com, email wendy@netwalkri.com or call 401 529-6830. Connect with Wendy to order copies of Fiddlesticks, The Angel Heart or Storywalker Wild Plant Magic Cards.

Subscribe to Wendy’s blog Writing with Wendy at www.wendyfachon.blog.
Join Wendy on facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/StoryWalkingRadio