National 4-H Council, with support from Disney, today launched Connecting Urban Youth to the Environment, a new program that helps youth in urban communities discover and protect nature. Connecting showcases a fun, interactive program in six urban areas throughout the U.S.: Los Angeles; Orange County, Calif.; Orlando, Fla.; Honolulu; New York; and Austin, Texas.
Connecting consists of three components:
1. Exploring Your Environment: Ecosystem Services: Through hands-on activities, youth will learn how living and non-living organisms interact within an ecosystem and provide benefits for humans and animals.
2. Exploring Your Environment: Earth’s Capacity: Youth will become more familiar with environmental stewardship by learning scientific research techniques, responsible practices and innovative technologies that positively address environmental issues such as air and water quality, land use, carrying capacity, product life cycle and ecological sustainability.
3. Exploring Your Environment Capstone Event: At the end of each site’s program, youth will participate in a capstone event (such as a Skill-a-Thon) to demonstrate the knowledge they have gained and provide additional, hands-on opportunities for them to share with their families and communities.
“Young people benefit tremendously from being more aware of the environment and how they can make a positive impact on it,” said Jennifer Sirangelo, president & CEO, National 4-H Council. “With their strong commitment to connecting young people to nature, we can’t think of a better collaborator for this exciting, new initiative than Disney.”
A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology® showed that, despite public perception to the contrary, young people today are less interested in environmental issues than older generations. Connecting Urban Youth to the Environment was created to help address this situation by educating and empowering young people to make positive choices that benefit themselves, their families and their communities. The program will enhance youth’s out-of-school experience and will take place through 4-H Clubs and at day camps through November. It is part of 4-H’s commitment to teach young people about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).