PART TWO: Part one can be found here.

In my original post, I commented on my own initial observations as to whether urbanisation can be married with nature. Even in the sphere of that singular blog post further questions arose and objectively speaking it is a rather complex and broad topic. Although I am someone who actively seeks  solutions to the questions placed before me, realistically two weeks is not long enough to answer such a question. In fact from my perspective this is a topic that will continue generation after generation and the content of the discussion will change depending on the context, the beliefs of individuals and even the culture they are situated in.

My time in Singapore has shown me quite a lot, providing unique perspectives into how people connect with nature, why it is valued and its current place within outdoor education in Singapore which has been supplemented by the questions and comments of my peers, locals and people we met along the way. I feel that this discussion is relevant within outdoor education in Australia and therefore want to add to the discussion through sharing my thoughts based on my time in Singapore.

Before expecting my students to connect to nature in a urban location, I feel that it is crucial that I first understand how I connect with the same place. Before delving into my own experience I want to pose a couple of questions: Why is it even important to connect with nature? Why do we want our students to build a connection with ‘places’? While I have my own responses to these questions, I throw these questions out as my own views that have been shaped during my time at university were challenged and in many regards I have become more open-minded. Coming to Singapore my perception on the importance of nature in outdoor education was primarily focused on the preservation of the environment that it something we should protect not only because we rely on it for life/life quality and resources but that it has life itself. The illustration of this kind of nature in my mind was ‘wild’ with less human interference. In saying this I still considered park-lands and city outdoor spaces nature, just didn’t see its relevance to helping students connect with ‘real nature’ and I questioned how those in urban environment build a true connection.

However there is so much more to connecting with nature than just my narrow perception. As I strolled through the botanical gardens, the green corridor, urban parks I still found that I could connect. I was not connecting to some scientific information being provided about the local flora, but the sense of familiarity. The trees, the grass, the bird calls, the wind rustling through the leaves all reminders of the places I wander around back home, use for recreation some of my ‘connections’. These connections I had never really thought about in a outdoor education context. However Singapore reminded me of these connections and helped provide a link to not only personal significance but broadened my perception of nature within outdoor education. Significant connections are more than just what has the place got to offer, but the value and significance the person holds for that location no matter its make up. I now know urban locations can be places of connection. Thanks Singapore!