The Team WET Schools initiative began in 2002 as an extension of the Council for Environmental Education’s WET in the City K-12 water education program. Through the establishment of diverse partner networks within cities, WET in the City seeks to form meaningful partnerships between educators, sponsors and water education professionals. The establishment of Team WET Schools advances an important WET in the City goal: to create a thriving network among educators and partners who come together to advance water education, academic excellence and environmental stewardship among urban youth.

As part of Team WET Schools, urban educators are a priority audience for the delivery of high quality, customized training workshops and educational materials. More than 90 percent of the U.S. population now lives in urban areas. Urban youth are increasingly disconnected from outdoor pursuits and the natural world. Complex environmental issues, many of which involve water resources, abound in urban settings. Environmental health issues will continue to be of major concern to city dwellers and others in the years to come. Yet, for a variety of reasons, urban educators and urban youth have long been an underserved audience for natural resource education efforts. In partnership with our sponsors and community supporters, CEE seeks to help close the urban environmental education gap, while preparing learners for water related issues that will confront us in the 21st century.

Water, the gift of life. We hear about it being in short supply, we wonder how to get it from one place to another, we question whether it is safe to drink, how polluted it may be, and whether we can fish and swim in it. Pressing water issues abound in urban areas. Water is a universal and unifying theme that is real to kids.

A new school of thought allows you to take an assortment of real life water issues, and let kids investigate them in a hands-on and engaging manner that’s both fun and academically enriching. All the while, letting teachers accomplish their curriculum goals in step with national and state teaching standards. Then, interdisciplinary instruction is used to accomplish teaching objectives, set up opportunities for kids to demonstrate and apply their newly found knowledge…beginning right on the school campus.

Combine these key elements while continuing to address urban issues, providing schools with a support system and involving the community and you understand the origins of Team WET Schools. From its inception Team WET Schools has proven to be a successful working model to invoke environmental stewardship in youth. Watch for Team WET Schools as it expands into your city.