What is Nature Links
for Lifelong Learning?
Through vibrant online programs, Nature Links connects young adults with disabilities to the natural world. We foster essential life skills, build resilience, and cultivate environmental stewardship, helping participants gain a deeper understanding of ecosystems and strengthen their community connections.
What To Expect
Nature Links offers engaging classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with two sessions each day at 9:00 am ET and 10:00 am ET, each lasting one hour.
Classes focus on helping young adults with disabilities develop independence, explore their strengths, and apply them to work, hobbies, and relationships. Through interactive, hands-on learning, learners discover how they can engage in civic life, make positive changes in their communities, and understand the systems that impact their daily lives.
Using nature as a lens, learners explore how the world around them inspires innovation and problem-solving, and how their own curiosities and skills can lead to practical solutions and tools for a better life. Classes foster confidence, curiosity, and meaningful connections—building the skills and agency young adults need to thrive.
What Are We Learning?
Discovery at the Intersection of Technology and Nature, from Wildlife to Wifi.
From deforestation tracking to AI-powered conservation tools, this series examines how emerging technologies are used to protect the planet. Each week, learners investigate real-world case studies, explore the ethics of innovation, and consider their own role in environmental stewardship.
Natural Inspiration for New Innovation
By using the natural world as inspiration, we discover how humans have turned observations of plants, fungi, and other resources into life-changing inventions—from Velcro inspired by burdock seeds to sustainable packaging modeled on fungi. Learners investigate natural innovations, think like inventors, and see how curiosity, creativity, and careful observation can lead to practical, real-world solutions.
Forest to Fork: The Purpose of Cooking Local.
Grounded in nutrition, sustainability, and self-expression, our culinary classes invite learners to explore seasonal ingredients, foraging basics, and hands-on cooking. Each participant leads a session, planning, preparing, and presenting a recipe that reflects their unique perspective and skills.
Why It Matters:
All of our learning series are designed to meet postsecondary educational standards by supporting:
Critical thinking and decision-making
Environmental literacy and digital fluency
Communication and leadership development
Independent and community living skills
Whether you're learning to use new tools, preparing a group meal, or discussing global biodiversity, every session offers a chance to grow, connect, and contribute.