Quick Navigation

Northern Illinois University

NIU Office of Public Affairs


Bora Simmons

Bora Simmons

To obtain print-quality JPEGs, contact the Office of Public Affairs at (815) 753-1681 or e-mail publicaffairs@niu.edu.


News Release

Contact: Mark McGowan, NIU Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-9472

March 22, 2005

NIU College of Education professor
to teach environmental education in Namibia

DeKalb — A professor from Northern Illinois University’s Department of Teaching and Learning will spend part of April in the African country of Namibia to help enhance environmental lessons given by “non-formal educators” outside the school system.

Bora Simmons is among a team of educators who will spend April 11 to 22 with about 20 Namibians who work at places such as zoos, parks and nature centers where they lead instructional tours for visitors of all ages.

The workshop trip is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution, Environmental Education and Conservation Global, the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

“The Smithsonian Institution has as one of its objectives to improve environmental education practices in developing nations,” said Simmons, who came to NIU in 1987. “As a developing nation, Namibia has real challenges. They have a growing tourist trade, and that is a real opportunity, but it also puts pressure on the country and its resources.”

Simmons will show the Namibians how to design effective programs by “taking them through a tried-and-true process.” One message: Curriculum planned with specific audiences in mind makes a stronger impact, she said.

Other plans include a demonstration of how to use “social marketing” to influence perceptions about the environment and why and how to “do the right thing.”

“Citizens who are knowledgeable about the environment act accordingly to help preserve and conserve the system,” she said. “The notion of eco-tourism is important to the national parks. We want them to think about what they want to accomplish: How do you organize trips that don’t overwhelm the eco-system, and so people have a good experience and learn something?”

The project began in a pilot form last year, said Simmons, who was asked to join this year by a longtime acquaintance with the Smithsonian Institution. One of the student participants in the pilot project will return this year to help teach his countrymen, she said, as the Namibians are trained to take over the program eventually.

“The Smithsonian Institution has a strong dedication to building that local capacity so they’re not always bringing the resources in from the outside,” she said.

Simmons is making her first trip to Africa. She previously taught workshops in China in the early 1990s and in Thailand in 2002.

# # #