Nickerson Gardens Environmental Studies Academy
| Amount | $697,360 |
| Grantee | Outward Bound Adventures |
| Award Year | 2022 |
| Funding Source | General Fund, Outdoor Equity Program |
| Project Type | Program Operation |
| Project Status | In Progress |
Description
Conduct the Outward Bound Adventures—Nickerson Gardens Environmental Studies Academy program for residents near Nickerson Gardens Recreation Center in Watts. This program will include approximately 20 activity days in the community for approximately 2,600 participants and approximately 48 trips to natural areas for approximately 700 participants during four years of programming.
Activities in the community will include Youth Advisory Council including Environmental Leadership, College, and Career Skills Development; Youth-led Nature in Action Walks; Youth Presentations to Community on Environmental Issues.
Trips to natural areas outside of the community will include a 1-Day Environmental Experience in Angeles National Forest including San Gabriel Sheep Mountain Wilderness, Strawberry Peak, Devil’s Canyon, Switzer Falls, and Dawn Mine; Teach Me to Camp Family Overnight Camping at Bear Paw Reserve in Forest Falls; Environmental Conservation Overnight Camping at Mojave and Salton Sea in southeastern California; 5-Day Self Discovery Environmental Expedition along California’s central coast, including Elkhorn Slough, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Big Sur Land Trust, Morro Bay, and Piedras Blancas.
Community Home Base Location
1590 E 114th St, Los Angeles, CA 90059
| County | Los Angeles |
| Assembly District | AD 65 Mike A. Gipson (D) |
| Senate District |
SD 35 Laura Richardson (D) |
| Congressional District | CD 43 Maxine Waters (D) |
Program Goals
Service Learning/Career Pathway/Leadership Opportunities
Environmental Studies Academy: 144 youth and residents will have opportunities to build skills in leadership development based on ethical practice, civic-mindedness, and community-building, eco-literacy, cultural literacy, physical challenges, stewardship ethics and Leave No Trace Principles, meeting professionals in conservation and natural resource development fields.
Youth Advisory Council: 144 youth and residents will build skills in leadership in environmental education, persuasive public speaking, fundraising, problem solving and strategic thinking and decision-making, volunteer in conservation and community service projects, mock job interviews and resume writing, and SMART goal setting.
Environmental Restoration Team Work-Learning Experience: 144 youth and residents will gain knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies in habitat restoration, wildlife preservation, natural resource management, defensible space, trail repair and maintenance, and essential employment skills.
288 residents will have opportunities in training and volunteering, and other extracurricular activities that are all important factors in both college and job applications.
Partnerships
- Nickerson Gardens Recreation Center – will provide the Community Home Base, meeting facilities, and youth and family referrals.
- Whole Systems Learning – will conduct Activities in the Community for youth and residents.
- US Forest Service – will provide subject matter experts in trail maintenance and habitat restoration for 1-Day Environmental Experience Nature Destination trips.
- The Wildlands Conservancy – will provide Bearpaw Reserve for the Teach Me to Camp Nature Destination trip.
- Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) - will provide watershed for Resilient Rio-51 Nature Destination trip along the Los Angeles River, from the headwaters to the sea.
Mentoring
OBA’s primary focus on mentoring and broadening the impact of the Environmental Studies Academy is through Diverse Outdoor Leadership Institute (DOLI), where participants 19 and older receive intensive training in wilderness leadership, conservation, natural resource management, outdoor recreation, and in professional opportunities available for those who choose this path.
DOLI uses a Group Mentoring Model, where a single mentor works with multiple mentees around the common theme of wilderness leadership. These groups serve as hubs for identifying skill development needs, addressing issues that come up during their program, and providing support to mentees at various stages of their training.
Annual Report Details
Programs may span from one year to multi-year, not to exceed four years. The specific length of the program is contained in the description above.
List of Educational Goals Achieved
2023
Program still in the planning stages and updates will be submitted in 2024.
List of Formed Partnerships
2023
Outward Bound Adventures (OBA) selected Nickerson Gardens Recreation Center as the Community Home Base because it is a central gathering place for residents (including youth). OBA has worked with the center since 1968.
While starting up our OEP work at the Watts Empowerment Center (on a separate grant), several youth had difficulty staying engaged in our traditional programming. In response, we paused our programming at all OEP (Watts, South LA and Nickerson Gardens) locations to focus on restructuring and providing further training for our staff to ensure that future outings are successful. The new staff training will be completed in several weeks. We are currently in the process of recruiting a Program Coordinator for Nickerson Gardens, based in the local community.
2024
Lessons
2023
Youth that have been brought up amidst trauma, poverty, and instability have understandably learned unhealthy behaviors to help them navigate and survive their difficult situations. Given our decades long history of working within this community, we have the tools and training to achieve successful outcomes. However, new challenges emerged last year that helped us to recognize that some areas in our curriculum needed rethinking. We've hired a leadership and training specialist who has years of experience with this particular population to assist in restructuring our curriculum for our Diverse Outdoor Leadership Training (DOLI). This will allow our instructors to maximize the impact and positive outcomes we aim to achieve with youth in Nickerson Gardens.
