PARKS & PEOPLE FOUNDATION

Helping at-risk youth connect with outdoor education in the Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park Forest

Project Overview

Parks & People’s in-school and after-school environmental education program, the green workforce development program, and SuperKids summer camp use green spaces in the Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park urban forest located in Baltimore, MD to teach elementary and middle school youth the importance of environmental stewardship. Parks & People Foundation will receive $10,000 to support the program’s curriculum-building resources.

This funding will help low-income urban students access parks and the Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park urban forest, ultimately strengthening their ties to the forest and nature. The programs are aligned with the Maryland State Department of Education’s environmental literacy standards and will also use Project Learning Tree resources and other educational materials.

The students will gain knowledge about the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s focus on responsible forest management and how a healthy forest impacts the community. Students will reflect and share insight on their effect on the environment and how they can become better stewards of green spaces around their community. Students will emerge from these programs with a deeper respect for the natural world and all the benefits it brings.

Project Partners

In addition to the Parks & People Foundation, partners include the Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks and the Baltimore Ecosystem Study.

About Parks & People Foundation

The Parks & People Foundation is dedicated to supporting a wide range of recreational and educational opportunities; creating and sustaining beautiful and lively parks; and promoting a healthy natural environment for Baltimore. On May 20, 2015, people in Baltimore, including from the Parks & People Foundation, contributed to a new Guinness world record for the most trees planted in one hour.