Photo credit: Alex Connell

This story was produced in collaboration with CivicStory as part of the Ecology-Civics Reporting Project.  

JERSEY CITY, NJ – Striding across the dew-laced grass of Liberty State Park on a crisp Saturday morning in March, this reporter was greeted first by the sight of the towering marshes, and then by eight fresh-faced teens carrying variations of expensive-looking cameras, chattering excitedly.

They’re here on their Saturday morning to capture nature and TAPinto Jersey City is here to find out why. 

It’s no secret that children and teenagers from urban areas have the potential to suffer the most from the effects of nature deprivation, but we’re not talking about it enough, says Steve Cunningham, Executive Director of Team Wilderness (TW).

Team Wilderness is a nonprofit, Jersey City-based organization that uses an experiential educational model to teach urban teenagers teamwork, leadership, and character.

Cunningham, who is a former high school history teacher in Jersey City, says he was inspired to establish TW by the kids he was teaching at Snyder High School.

He says that back then, typically, his Monday mornings would begin with his students quizzing him about what he had done on the weekend to delay the lesson starting. 

“I’m an avid hiker, so I would tell them I went hiking or camping or backpacking, or to see a waterfall, and they’d laugh at me because they thought that it was something that was for me and not for them,” he says. 

Cunningham says that this attitude he observed in the kids “was heartbreaking.”

From that, Cunningham started an afterschool hiking club to prove to the kids that “hiking and nature as a whole was for everyone,” he says. 

Gradually, Cunningham says he became aware that the children participating regularly were “a little more focused and happier, and it was clear it was impacting them in more ways than just opening their eyes to the experience, it was even impacting their grades.” 

“95% of the kids reported increased self-confidence across everything, so it’s not just life’s challenges but also academically, and you wouldn’t think the two are connected, but they really are,” Cunningham says. 

While multiple studies have shown that time spent outdoors by teens improves their mental and physical health, reduces stress and anxiety, boosts mood, and promotes physical activity, leading to better cognitive function and overall well-being, Cunningham says that “seeing is believing.”  

Team Wilderness was ultimately established in 2016 and, in the past year, has served 605 youths in Hudson County and amassed 11,225 hours spent outside in nature collectively.

One of the many programs TW provides is the Photography Club, which was established as a means to cater to a wider demographic of kids.

 “Some kids want to be outside but find the hikes super tough or the overnight trips a little daunting, so this was just another option,” Cunningham says. 

It includes weekly after-school lessons in photography and monthly trips to discover and capture nature on professional cameras.

TAPinto Jersey City joined the group on their monthly excursion to the sprawling 1,212 acre multipurpose park in the heart of Metropolitan northern New Jersey. 

 Kiara Jorge, an alumnus of the program and now an Administrative Assistant & Field Instructor with TW, says that city life for most kids is limiting. 

“You don’t really get to experience a lot of new things in the city and because of that, you really do miss out on a whole other part of life,” Jorge told TAPinto Jersey City. 

Escapism is one of the aspects of life she feels city kids are deprived of. “The city is super overwhelming and for these kids some of their home lives are just as overwhelming, so nature can be a safe space for them.” 

“We also try to give them people outside their families that they can rely on to give them another outlet,” Jorge adds. 

A study from 2022 by Fielded found that nearly one in five Americans (18.3%) spends less than 15 minutes a day outdoors and, according to data from DataPortal, the average American spends 6 hours and 40 minutes looking at a screen every day. 

“Kids in cities really have been given a recipe for disaster,” Jorge says. 

In particular, urban kids of color are over three times more likely to live in areas deprived of nature, The Center for American Progress states.

Jersey City was ranked the second most ethnically diverse city in the United States in a study conducted by WalletHub, with Hispanics making up the largest ethnic group in the city, at around 26%, while Asians are 25% of the population, white people are 24%, and Black people are 20%.

Cunningham notes that because of this, many of the kids in the programs’ parents are reluctant at first to sign them up because, generationally, many have not been exposed to nature.

“It’s important to keep in mind that in a lot of the kids’ grandparents’ lifetime, they weren’t allowed in federal parks because they were segregated,” he says. 

TW is seeking to change the status-quo by giving the kids first-hand experience of nature systems. 

 “Park laws and park rangers could be biased or potentially racist, but the adrenaline rush you get from climbing a mountain is going to be the same regardless of your race and likewise, if there’s a vicious storm, it’s going to hurt everyone equally,” Cunningham explains. 

The barriers to accessing nature that children living in urban areas face are plentiful, and can be things many people overlook, Cunningham explains.

“One barrier is transportation. If you don’t have a car, you can really struggle to access nature,” he says.

In addition, in terms of group transportation, many parking lots at trails “can’t, don’t or refuse to accept buses,” Cunningham says.

“So who gets left behind again? It’s the kids from the marginalized communities of course.” 

Demetri, a student of the program and member of TW for three years told TAPinto Jersey City that prior to joining the organization he spent most of his time in school or in his room. “I always knew I could go outside, but I would never choose to before this,” he says. 

Another student, Samuel, says that he has been exposed to ecology in a new way. “I had never seen a fox before in real life until our trip last year, and now we get to see a lot of birds and trees and water, so that’s super cool.” 

While Team Wilderness prides themselves on being “the only organization offering wilderness education programs specifically for underserved youth in Hudson County,” there are other options like Fernbrook Farm’s afterschool program, in Chesterfield, Burlington County.

On the trip, the group photographed Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, a Bald Eagle, the Hudson River, Cherry Blossom Trees and the marshes, among other things. 

Wendy De Armas Domínguez, Programming Coordinator & Photography Instructor for TW, says that there are so many benefits to nature photography, including acquiring a new skill and learning to communicate in a new way through images.

Dominguez also acknowledges that another barrier to access for these kids is expensive equipment, which TW provides. 

 “I think the kids are starting to realize that they have the option to make photography a career if they want to, like this was a lot of the kids’ first time holding a camera, and now they’re doing it all the time and improving by the week,” she says. 

The children are given the opportunity to sell their photos at the end of each trimester and keep 100% of the profits.

At their December gallery, they collectively sold $1600 worth of photographs.