A soggy camping trip started his lifelong love affair with nature

As part of a series highlighting the work of young people in addressing the climate crisis, writer Patricia Lane interviews Umair Muhammad, a Nature Canada organizer on a mission to introduce children to the wonders of nature.

Umair Muhammad

Umair Muhammad wants everyone to have direct experience of the beauty of nature.

Tell us about your work.

As Nature Canada’s NatureHood organizer, I support local organizations to provide children and families opportunities to develop a long-lasting relationship with nature in their communities. We aim to inspire children with a sense of wonder and appreciation for nature, and ultimately help to protect natural places. For example, the Green Ummah project brings people in urban Muslim communities to nearby migratory bird sanctuaries or protected natural environments. In Nova Scotia, we support young naturalist clubs to allow children and youth to spend time outdoors and grow their curiosity and insight about the natural world around them. We have similar partnerships across the country.

Why is this important?

I grew up spending very little time outside, playing a lot of video games. It wasn't until I was a young adult and a friend of mine took me camping in Killarney Provincial Park that I had any real exposure to nature. It was a difficult trip. It was cold, and we got soaking wet, and we hiked through difficult terrain. But I was awestruck by the beauty around me and how the welfare of nature and humans is intertwined. I felt more connected to nature and more human. I was hooked.

Without that invitation from my friend, I likely would not have gone, and frankly, most people like me would not have gone even with that relationship. I might never have had that experience. Without a conscious effort, the connection to nature gets lost. Urban nature spaces like ravines and parks are often not accessed by the diverse groups of people who live near them. I think it’s important to provide more opportunities for all children to spend time in nature close by.

When I became a father, I became even more fiercely determined to do my part to protect these spaces so my child, who is now only nine months old, can have that experience. When your family is economically marginalized, which often goes hand-in-hand with racialization, your parents spend all their time making ends meet. Environmental protection is something that others who are rich do. But if we are going to successfully contend with climate change, so my son has a habitable planet, we need everyone on board. We all have too much to lose not to participate.

Tell us about your background.

I came from Pakistan with my parents when I was nine years old. Come summer, my friends would take off to cottages, summer camp or go camping with their families. I would see the price tag of the camp advertised at the local community centre and not even bring the flyer home. These things were not part of the culture of my family, and were not affordable in any event.

For a while, I was very active in protesting environmental hazards impacting racialized and marginalized communities. For example, I was part of protesting an oil pipeline reconstruction project through my Toronto community. But I have reached a stage in my life where I need to bring those who have been removed from nature into the conversation and provide more economic stability to my own family. I am so pleased to have this opportunity to help build the NatureHood program.

What keeps you awake at night, and what gives you hope?

Despair can just arrive, but hope needs a context. When I reflect on my work giving children and youth that direct experience of nature and allowing their innate curiosity to be a part of their lives, I feel hopeful.

Do you have advice for other young people?

As young men, we are encouraged to not be open emotionally with ourselves or others. Anger and grief are to be suppressed. But if we can learn how to give them appropriate space, then we can also allow joy. Time in nature has helped me with this.

Do you have any advice for older readers?

Please do not be shy about offering us younger people advice. My son only knows how to babble, but already I see he needs me to guide and direct him. He will live his life, and as young adults we, too, will make our decisions. If you withhold your support and advice, we will be much more likely to flounder, and we do not have the time to lose.