Activities in the community:
Foster stewardship of the environment by allowing the youth to take care of the local environment. Our activities take place in the youth’s community and promote service-learning opportunities between schools and local communities. East Bay Regional Park staff are trained park rangers and The Watershed Project staff are trained educators and environmental specialists with experience in studying, researching, and teaching in nature settings. Both The Watershed Project and East Bay Regional Park also expose the youth to career exploration in their respective environmental fields with the participating youth. They work with the youth to mentor them while doing coastal clean up projects to explain the importance of marine ecosystems and the effects on marine life.

The Watershed Project engaged youth in local creek monitoring, educational mapping, and design challenges. Students used tools and equipment to gather data on creek water quality measurements and benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) monitoring to assess the health of the creek. Students also examined maps of their local watershed from an inquiry-based approach to learn where stormwater travels when it rains, and the connection between community and watershed health. They examined evidence about anticipated climate change impacts to draw conclusions about the role of urban greening and stormwater management as a form of climate resilience.

Youth Leaders:
Leaders were given a budget and manage a project, thus giving them skills including but not limited to entrepreneurship, interpersonal communication skills, and leadership training in an effort to introduce them to and prepare for leadership roles in school, teams, business, and beyond. Nature Area Trips Our educational nature activities include nature walks, tree planting and kayaking. These activities meet the educational standards that are based on questions about the relationships between the Natural and Material World. It explores that scientific knowledge can describe the consequences of actions but does not necessarily prescribe the decisions that society takes.

Bike Riding:
The City of Richmond, East Bay Regional Park and Trips for Kids staff will use the interactive/ participative teaching method during the bike rides and the content-focused teaching method when between some of the cycling “pit stops”. Topics include but are not limited to: trees, erosion, ocean recycling, birds, health and wellness. Environmental activities such as park stewardship are combined with fun activities such as bike riding so that youth will be comfortable and will associate the environmental education experience with learning and fun.

Our community surveys indicate that the youth are very interested in learning nature survival skills. Most youth learn best when they do not realize they are learning. This begins with basic navigation skills such as starting with hiking trails, teaching how to read a trail map and how to read and use a compass. Students learn how to set up a campsite and how to respect nature as their only source of survival. Camping Trip- During the camping trip, they will be surrounded by and dependent on nature. Night time activities include stargazing and learning about how our bodies adapt depending on the circumstances. Educational principals discussed will be MS-ESS1-3. Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.

Ranch Day:
The City will partner with a local bay area ranch that is pioneering sustainably raising livestock within the confines of urban environments by using horses and its surrounding agriculture as a medium to inspire positivity within our inner-city communities. The local ranch will use the interactive/ participative teaching method during horseback riding and the content-focused teaching method when caring for horses and while doing ranch work. They will experience mechanical function in action and also learn the responsibility associated with the care of mammals.

Treasure Island Sailing:
The activity meets Principle 2 -People Influence Natural Systems. The long-term functioning and health of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems are influenced by their relationships with human societies. Principle 1 - People Depend on Natural Systems. The continuation and health of individual human lives and of human communities and societies depend on the health of the natural systems that provide essential goods and ecosystem services. Large bodies of water are massive and can be very humbling to individuals who do not respect it. Being immersed in a paddle boat teaches the youth to respect nature and also that we depend on it for survival.

Activities met goals through instruction connected to nature experience and environmental stewardship, as well as community outreach, civic engagement, healthy lifestyles and sound nutritional habits. Youth planned service projects, such as tree planting, speaking at Parks Commission, presenting cultural art forms, and creating the meal plans for Natural Area Trips. Objectives were measured through successful participation, qualitative survey feedback, individual testing, certification and/or observation. Youth completed the Jr Lifeguards, Camping 101 and reported increased comfort in and around water and forest ecosystems. Youth enjoyed Brommer Park as a safe space to celebrate community with year 2 of Cultural Art, which led to award-winning displays at the County Fair and a performance at a local festival All Natural Area trips included planned time for self-discovery through journaling & reflection activities, exploration, and opportunities to form a personal connection to nature.

Richmond Police Activity League: provided the Vans/ Transportation for all events that did not include a bus. Lesson, plan for vans as soon as the date is scheduled.

Trips for Kids: Provide Bike Riding lessons and guidance while touring the shoreline and pier. Build confidence in the youth during the bike ride. There was a sense of freedom the youth exhibited while riding along the trail and pier. The day encouraged peer to peer engagement and communication.

The Watershed Project: Provided hands-on learning and team building through watershed model building, plant identification, bird watching, nature journaling, creek monitoring, and restoration projects. The partner has done an outstanding job at engaging participants in learning about our environment.

Groundwork Richmond: Provided an introduction to trees and tree safety to participants; guided participants through mulching and other tree activities to learn about the local environment.

East Bay Regional Park District: provided park rangers for local stewardship activities as well as nature trips/ hikes. The rangers provide a wealth of knowledge with the youth about the environment and science. It it well worth taking the time to coordinate a ranger talk/ activity.

Urban Cowgirl: The staff provided great detail in the mannerisms, communication style and temperament of various ranch animals. They learned to calm to the pace of the animals and truly enjoy and relax into nature. They learned about the importance of sustainability in ranch-life.

Treasure Island Sailing: The leaders provided information about how sailing works and importance of the shoreline. The youth were encouraged and empowered by the water activities.

Pacific Gas and Electric (PGE): Provided free tickets to Filoli House and Gardens for a family filled event initiated by the community. Lesson is be flexible to allow the community to lead for events they are interested in. All learned so much about sustainability and lifestyles in the past (early 1900’s).

Our existing partnerships have continued to be strong: C2C, County Parks, Friends of State Parks and The Land Trust, CA State Parks OCI led are amazing. New partnerships have emerged, such as Barrios Unidos providing gathering space for unplanned rainy days. CA Watermen provided surf lessons at discount. Ecology Action hosted sessions on bike safety, repairs, how to ride, free bike accessories, and more. Jenny Robles Jarkim, freelance Folklorico Teacher with Senderos, volunteered to teach dance using the diablo masks the students made, and helped us put on a cultural performance at a local festival. Homeless Garden Project led a tour. ParkRx provided no-cost swim lessons for those who had not previously passed them. The Shady Ladies community group partnered for the tree planting. Ventures Youth Financial Health Division provided us with 4 free workshops on financial health for our senior leaders.

Our first school-year cohort in the fall was not without its unforeseen challenges! There was a scheduling mix-up on our first day which was supposed to be an environmental learning project, but staff were very quick to adjust the activity to focus on team building and ice breakers at the park. The initial mix-up turned out to be the best because through the team building and ice breaker activities, participants got to know one another and open up. This set a strong social-emotional foundation for the rest of the program!

The fall cohort was also our first cohort with our Youth Leaders. Summer participants of Youth Outdoors Richmond were invited to return for the fall as Youth Leaders. We had 4 Youth Leaders who helped engage our other participants and provided feedback to staff on things like meals, snacks, and team building activities that their peers wanted. They also helped plan the end of cohort celebration! Youth Leaders have proven to be critical to program success and engagement, and we are looking forward to having returning and new Youth Leaders for each cohort. We recommend the Youth Leadership aspect to all other programs as well!

Working with youth and families has been a resounding success! We incorporate nature exploration and foster social responsibility. We embrace diverse backgrounds, including neurodivergence, with various levels of support, ensuring our approach is adaptable, inclusive, equitable, and compassionate. We plan carefully based on community input, w/ frequent surveys for best days/times, transportation, etc. This helps us lead with intent, using every activity to build resilience, providing opportunities for artistic expression, personal reflection, introspection, and immersion in nature. A big challenge has been food for In Community Activities. In the community we serve, it is essential to provide food. If kids come with empty stomachs, they are distracted from learning and enjoying the activity. For future grants, we strongly recommend including budget for food at ALL activities. Addressing this structural barrier is critical for equitable access and effective program delivery.