Leap leadership & environmental ambassador program

LEAP Leadership & Environmental Ambassador Program

Healthy Eating & Active Living Physical - Emotional - Mental - Social - Spiritual

Overview Building a foundation for environmental advocacy, conservation and restoration.

Objectives & Outcomes (EcoMentors & Ambassadors) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Engage peers and young people in our community.

Build positive environmental awareness and action.

Gain valuable leadership and facilitation experience.

Encourage youth to explore and pursue careers in the environmental field Develop transferable social, career & life skills.

Become a certified Eco Ambassador and earn green rewards.

Support sustainable public policy and advocacy Engage in individual & communal restoration activities Encourage air, land, water & energy resource conservation Focus on ecological health and biodiversity

EDUCATION - ECOLOGY - ECONOMICS Triple Value System (Social & Cultural) LEAP Curriculum 1- Ecosystems “Life’s ingredients” Biomes & Networks (webs) Air - AIRnow.gov Water- Clean Waterways Land- Green Teachers Animals (Anatomy-Movement-Exercise) Plant (Structure-Nutrition-Symbiotic) Project Wet/Wild (Flying) 2- Elements of ART Mediums, Messages, Signals & Communications 3- Mobility & Transit Recycle A Bicycle Bike & Pedestrian Safety (Cycle Smart) Navigation & Logistics 4- Urban Scouts (Whole Child - Whole Community) Field Trips (Eco Stewardship Trail ) 5- Engage & Advocate (Civic Dialogue)

1

Ecosystems

Everything in the natural world is connected. An ecosystem is a community of living and nonliving things that work together both BIG (macro) and small (micro).

This very complex, wonderful interaction of living things and their environment, has been the foundations of energy flow and recycle of carbon and nitrogen.

Anytime a ‘stranger’ (living thing(s) or external factor such as rise in temperature) is introduced to an ecosystem, it can be disastrous to that ecosystem. This is because the new organism (or factor) can distort the natural balance of the interaction and potentially harm or destroy the ecosystem.

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“Circles of Influence” BIOMES

LE3AP Stewardship- agriculture, habitats, biology, cleanups…

What do we all need to live, survive and thrive (Life’s ingredients)? ○ Land- use, preservation, conservation etc. (Sustainable-low Impact) ■ ThePLOT.us Community garden workshops and seminars ● Essentials of Gardening I - II - III ○ iCAN GROW (Youth: soil, seed, sun & H20 fun) ○ Greenteacher.com ● Composting ● Vermiculture ● Aquaculture ● Permaculture ● BEE-Keeping ● Project Design ● Farm 2 Form: Cooking Academy ● Advanced classe: Biospheres, Wetlands etc.

■ Adopt A Spot & Pedal Up to Cleanup ● Waste and litter management ○ Water- cycle and conservation ■ Citizen Science & Monitoring ■ Workshop Series (Presentation) ○ Air- quality, monitoring and mitigation ■ Dream Ride Projects: HEAL Tour ■ AIRNOW.gov ○ *Energy- conservation, alternatives and reusable/renewable

2

Elements of Art *POINT - Is a precise location or place on a plane. Usually represented by a dot.

LINE - And curves are marks that span a distance between two points SHAPE - Pertains to the use of areas in two-dimensional space, defined by edges.

FORM - Are areas or masses which define objects in three-dimensional space.

SPACE - Is the area around, above, and within an object.

VALUE - Refers to the use of lightness and darkness in a piece of artwork or design.

TEXTURE - Is the way an object feels to the touch or looks as it may feel if touched.

COLOR - Is produced when light, striking an object, is reflected back to the eye, also a measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light; saturation or chroma *** PATTERN/GRID: Advanced Activities: Murals - Rain Barrels - Trash Cans

Project List

Birds on a wire: Have students draw, trace and cutout birds of various shapes, types and patterns from recycled materials including, cardboard, plastic, wood metal ect. Once the stencil is cut they can be painted and colored for hanging across a nearby street.

NOAH Example Feathers of the Flock: Gather feathers, trace draw and paint individually then assemble together to make one large OWL (Wisdom- “As smart as…”)

Continued...

2

Elements of Art

Project List continued...

Handmade Notebook: Collect scrap paper to reuse the other side in a notebook. Make/carve a rubber/wood/clay stamper block for the front cover.

Fish Anatomy (Stamp): Coloring & cutout growing up wild sheets. Jellyfish collage with paper plate, string and water color. Bring in fish for stamping.

Mosaic Tiles/Glass: reuse CD’s, glass bottles, tiles ect with plaster / cement ECO “AIR” Flags: bamboo poles with colored air quality flags Walnut Shell Boat Race: half a walnut shell with mini sail.

Wood Bug House: build a wooden bug house with pallets & logs.

Bird Feeders & Houses: build homes for birds in the neighborhood (Orange peels)

MUSIC + SONG + Poetry

TIN CANS: DRUM + RATTLE | PAINT | PLANT Cardboard Box Guitar: cardboard box with strings and tube neck Rain Stick: decorate cardboard tube with foil coil and rice.

Ankle Bells: Jewelry making with string/thread Bottle xylophone: Rainbow Coloring of various amounts with food coloring.

Dye white flowers

ADVANCED

Tires | Rain Barrels | Benches | Trash Cans | Sewer Drain | Murals

3

Mobility - Transit

Connectivity, Logistics and Movement are essential to the advancement of modern and ancient communities alike.

All creatures move and travel from place to place. Whether individually or in mass this has been clearly evident in seasonal and survival migrations both with animals and humans. If you're migrating for survival or moving for a career and growth opportunities it will be necessary to know how to plan, prepare, pack, and proceed on your path. Mobility & Transit provide an catalyst for change that can be sustainable if implemented in concert with our environment. This section of LEAP will instill decision making mechanisms that enable efficient, tactful and effective movement of people both individually and collectively, get ready for an adventure!

Mobility, Transportation & Workforce (Field-trips) ● Navigation (maps) ○ Multimodal travel ■ Active travel ■ Mass transit ■ Alternative fuel ○ Cycle & Walk Smart Program (Safety) ○ Who, What, Where, When, Why & How? ● Maker Workshop (Design-Build-Mobilize)

4

Urban Scouts Environmental Science & Sustainability Reach the PEAK & "Leave No Trace" ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Food Forager & Producer (thePlot.us) Camping & Shelters (Everyone Needs a Home) Pioneer (Hike & Bike "packing") Signals & Communications (Language & Arts) Maker & Innovator (Workshop & Makerspace) Community Service (Labor learning & Cleanups) Community Citizen (Civic scholar & Engagement)

5 Engage - Advocate LEAP Ambassador- Civic engagement - Community Outreach ●

Youth Leadership Course ○ Advocacy & Equity ○ Policy & Practice ○ Networking & Partnerships ○ Communications & Media ○ Funding & Financing

Youth Leadership Development & Civic Engagement activities and programs involve youth leaders in improving their community while developing themselves and their capacity to become agents of change. Activities range from roundtable discussions and participation on public boards and commissions to community organizing and public-awareness campaigns.

Youth build their understanding of the social and political issues that interconnect us all and disadvantage some. This knowledge is then used to affect systems change and transform communities. ecoAmbassadors

are equipped with knowledge, materials and a supporting team to engage peers and members of their community locally, across the country and the world. Upon completion of each activity and sponsor endorsement, each student will receive a certificate of completion for the LEAP course.

“A LEAP pad for environmental advocacy and action”

Leadership & Environmental Ambassador Program

RUACH