Community Research for Discovery Place Nature
Client: Discovery Place Nature | Location: Charlotte, NC | Funding: Institute of Museum and Library Services
We helped Discovery Place Nature begin the process of building relationships with diverse Charlotte communities through audience research.
OVERVIEW
In 2019, we conducted in-depth interviews with various Charlotte community stakeholders to support the museum in understanding these communities’ needs in relationship to experiences in nature and environmental stewardship.
APPROACH
Through their community relationships, the museum identified a number of stakeholders representing five intersecting communities/audiences, including the African American community, the Latinx community, families, teens and young adults, and elementary school educators. We conducted a series of remote, in-depth, conversation-style interviews with stakeholders to: 1) understand underserved communities’ relationship to the natural world, 2) identify activities that support intergenerational learning, and 3) identify community practices around environmental stewardship.
CLIENT TAKEAWAYS
We learned the best way Discovery Place Nature can begin to build relationships with and serve new audiences is to collaborate directly with communities to create quality nature education programs that focus on environmental issues that are most urgent and relevant for the communities, such as the intersection of environmental equity and wellness.
With these insights about potential new audiences, Discovery Place staff were better prepared to begin the process of developing and strengthening community relationships and designing responsive environmental education programs.
