In a collaboration between UC Irvine and the local Orange County community, the team behind the UCI Nature Wellness project and representatives from the Laguna Beach Unified School District met to discuss the project’s framework and potential strategies for bringing nature therapy to LBUSD students.
The Nature Wellness project is a collaborative effort between the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, and School of Physical Sciences. The program is funded by a UCI Equity in Mental Health grant.
UCI students, faculty, and staff may have seen the Nature Wellness Stations at some of the many natural spaces on campus, such as in Aldrich Park.
“Through the Nature Wellness Stations at UCI and our collaboration with LBUSD, we aim to promote mindful interactions with nature and enhance students’ mental health and well-being while participating in a citizen science project that evaluates the impact of nature therapy,” said Dr. Mahtab Jafari, UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences professor and principal investigator of the Nature Wellness project.
At the November 2024 meeting, Dr. Jafari was joined by project co-principal investigators Dr. Benis Egoh (of the School of Physical Sciences) and Dr. Jessica Pratt (of the School of Biological Sciences). Dr. Jafari’s postdoctoral researcher Alex Shahverdian and Dr. Pratt’s student researcher Lizzie Braver also contributed.
A result of collaborative meetings between the UCI team and LBUSD staff, the event was created for the purpose of providing an opportunity to learn about the Nature Wellness program and discuss how the school district can establish similar nature therapy initiatives for their K-12 students.
The UCI team provided a tour of the Nature Wellness Stations and training for LBUSD staff. They also presented data on student reports regarding their use of the Nature Wellness Stations.
“Over the past year, data collected from this initiative shows that approximately 90% of students who used the Nature Wellness Stations reported feeling calmer, happier, more focused, and more energized,” Dr. Jafari shared.
The UCI team plans to grow the Nature Wellness program and continue their efforts to bring nature therapy to students at UCI and beyond.
“Building on this success, our goal is to expand the program and work collaboratively to install additional Nature Wellness Stations across campus, ensuring that more students learn about the therapeutic power of nature,” Dr. Jafari stated.
