The ChariTree Foundation Calls for More Outdoor Learning Opportunities for Children in the Age of AI
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vancouver, BC — June 10, 2026 — Artificial intelligence and social media are profoundly reshaping childhood, influencing how children learn, communicate, build relationships, and engage with the world. While these technologies offer unprecedented opportunities for education, creativity, and connection, they also present complex challenges that demand greater attention.
As children and youth spend more time in digital environments, The ChariTree Foundation is calling for more opportunities for kids to connect with nature and for greater investment in outdoor learning and nature-based experiences as essential components of healthy childhood development.
Environmental education and access to nature are powerful tools for building resilience, supporting healthy development, and fostering wellbeing. Time outdoors nurtures curiosity, creativity, physical activity, and meaningful social connections while helping children develop a deeper understanding of the world around them.
“Protecting children in the digital age requires more than safer technology. It means creating opportunities for children to thrive beyond screens. Environmental education and access to nature help build the resilience, wellbeing, and leadership skills children need to navigate an AI-powered future. In an increasingly digital world, nature may be one of the most effective antidotes to the challenges children face online.” — Andrea Koehle Jones, Advocate for Children’s Rights in the Digital Age, Environmental Education and AI Safety.
Nature Offers a Powerful Counterbalance
As children’s lives become increasingly shaped by screens and AI, nature offers a powerful counterbalance. Protecting children means ensuring that innovation is designed with children’s rights, safety, and wellbeing at its core while also providing opportunities to experience the benefits of nature.
The future of child wellbeing depends on both responsible technology and meaningful connections to the natural world. By combining digital safeguarding with environmental education, we can help children thrive online and offline while preparing the next generation of environmental leaders.
About The ChariTree Foundation
Photos: The ChariTree Foundation
The ChariTree Foundation is a Canadian non-profit organization and United Nations Climate Observer Organization dedicated to connecting children with nature through environmental education. Founded on Earth Day in 2006 and based in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, the Foundation inspires children to get outdoors, plant trees, explore biodiversity, and develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to become environmental leaders in a rapidly changing world.
About Andrea Koehle Jones
Andrea Koehle Jones is an award-winning environmental education advocate, children’s book author, and founder of The ChariTree Foundation. Based in British Columbia, she is also Co-Founder of The FirstLine Foundation and an advisor to the UNICEF Leading Minds Fellowship on Climate Education. Dedicated to empowering the next generation of environmental leaders, Andrea champions inclusive climate and biodiversity education while promoting children’s wellbeing, resilience, and healthy relationships with technology.
Her latest children’s book, Don’t Let Ned Plant a Tree THERE! (June 2026), invites young readers on a laugh-out-loud adventure that celebrates nature, curiosity, and environmental stewardship. The story follows Ned, a wildly enthusiastic puppy with a big heart and an even bigger passion for planting trees. There’s just one problem—Ned plants them in all the wrong places! From a bear’s head to other hilariously unexpected locations, Ned’s well-intentioned efforts create delightful chaos while teaching children valuable lessons about nature, ecosystems, and the importance of planting the right tree in the right place.
