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Vimal Raj

Nature Educator & Coordinator

Dhun School

Cohort

4 Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

Vimal is a nature educator, natural history interpreter and founder of WildEd, an organisation that helps children reconnect with nature through immersive, screen-free experiences. Based in Visakhapatnam, he blends ecology, outdoor learning and local storytelling to ignite curiosity about the natural world. He has also served as a District Coordinator with WASSAN, working on grassroots natural resource management and community livelihoods in drought-prone regions. With rich experience in museum-based learning, field interpretation and community engagement, Vimal brings an interdisciplinary, grounded approach to environmental education.

Passion Project

Primary Focus Area

Eco-Literacy, Nature Education , Place -Based Environmental Education

Special Expertise

Designing and facilitating nature walks (forest, bird, insect, nocturnal), intertidal/tide-pool explorations, treks and camps; creating and running a Mobile Natural History Museum as an entry point for schools; integrating local fishers and Adivasi guides as co-educators and paid team members; weaving ecological, social and economic lenses (caste, livelihoods, development) into programmes; using play tools like bingo and simple games to build observation and critical thinking

Museum to Outdoors: Natural History Explorers uses museum spaces as gateways to real-world biodiversity learning. Children handle safe specimens, explore themes such as animal adaptations and coastal ecosystems, and then carry these insights outdoors through short “museum-to-field” walks. The project encourages sketching, questioning, comparison and storytelling, helping children link static exhibits to living nature.

Communities engaged

Government school students in Visakhapatnam and Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district; tribal communities in the Eastern Ghats (as trek guides and knowledge-holders); coastal fishing communities (especially at intertidal sites); urban families and children attending WildEd's outdoor programmes and birthday parties

Pedagogical Style

Strongly place-based and experiential; starts from curiosity and “what’s already around you”; combines storytelling and natural history with games (bingo, search tasks); deliberately brings in local experts (fishers, tribal guides) as co-facilitators; pushes participants to see ecology together with economics, caste and development (e.g., high-rises, sand mining, beach-cleaning machines); aims to build a critical, systemic lens while keeping sessions playful and accessible; treats the Mobile Museum as a safe, portable way for cautious schools to try nature education.