About the Get to Know Program

The Get to Know Program has been inspiring connections between children and nature in the outdoors for over a decade.

Acclaimed artist and naturalist Robert Bateman believes that having students learn local species' names and characteristics will create increased awareness and understanding of wildlife, which will in turn instill increased empathy for the well-being of our wild neighbours. In short, he wants to facilitate young people connecting with nature because this is an important first step towards raising a generation who will care for the Earth's well-being.

Providing young people with opportunities to spend more time outdoors is a priority of the Get to Know Program. This is particularly important in this day and age, as children continue to abandon outdoor experiences for those they can participate in from within the home. This detachment from nature, and resulting sedentary lifestyle, can have a negative effect on the development of children.

The motto of the Get to Know Program is "Connect. Create. Celebrate." These words articulate our mission to foster connections to nature through the creative arts – and to celebrate the fantastic work being done by youth in response to the environment and the need to understand and value nature.

About Robert Bateman

Robert Bateman

Robert Bateman is regarded as one of the world's greatest wildlife artists. A Canadian icon, an artist of unparalleled talent, yet always a man of the people, Bateman has dedicated his life to encouraging people to discover, value, and conserve the natural world. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and has won almost countless other awards and accolades for his achievements as both an artist and a conservationist.

Robert Bateman passionately hopes, and works to ensure, that the next generation experiences nature and discovers the wonders that can be found right in their neighbourhood. He says, "my life has always been immersed in nature. It has been inspiring, adventurous and fun. I have been thrilled by everything from gorillas in the rainforests of the Congo to the penguins of the Antarctic. But none of these spectacular experiences has been any more enchanting than the nature I discovered as a young boy in the ravine below our backyard [in Toronto]."

Quote About Bateman
“He has become probably the world's most successful wildlife artist...and this success has made him into a public figure, a powerful spokesman for our threatened planet whose opinions are sought and whose speaking engagements draw big crowds. But his worldly success is only part of the explanation for his impact on the environmental movement. He has also been extremely generous to conservation causes with both his time and his money. His widely reproduced art has raised the awareness of people who previously took their natural inheritance for granted.” ~ Rich Archbold

To learn more, please visit Robert Bateman's web site.