Green Deeds in the Mead: A Service-Oriented Environmental Education Program for Lower-Income Youth in Meadville, Pa

Arbab, Sahar

Green Deeds in the Mead: A Service-Oriented Environmental Education Program for Lower-Income Youth in Meadville, Pa

Persistent URL

http://hdl.handle.net/10456/34367

Author(s)

Arbab, Sahar

Date Issued

April 30, 2013

Abstract

Environmental education has become increasingly more popular in recent years. This can be seen with the increase of the subject in many schools’ curricula. In addition, various out-of-school programs have developed to reconnect students with nature and prepare them to solve difficult environmental problems that the future will present. However, despite these bold initiatives, many young people are still not being reached. Economically marginalized communities, due to the constraints of time, money, and location, are not as capable of enrolling their children in programs like these. Furthermore, environmental education is often presented from a narrow perspective to a homogenous demographic. Many environmental education programs are not culturally or locally relevant and thus do not connect to lower-income communities. The following is a proposal for a program intended to reach lower-income parents and children in Meadville, PA. The program seeks to combine environmental stewardship, environmental justice, and citizen science in order to foster environmental awareness and civic engagement. The design contains a literature review, a program design (lessons, budget, timeline, evaluation, etc.), and reflections on a three-week pilot run. The program will be fully implemented in the Creating Landscapes for Families after-school program based in Meadville, PA in the Unitarian Church in the fall of 2013.

Honors

Environmental Science, 2013

First Reader(s)

Eatmon, Thomas