Environmental Stewardship

Programs are Virtual and in Person

Sponsored by TLC Education and Foundation Curriculum design modeled from Earth Force and Tamela Trussell. ALL Environmental Stewardship Courses will emphasize problem-solving & civic action. The course will follow the teaching philosophy and goals laid out below. TLC Education courses are designed to teach Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) through classroom and field investigation, research, problem-solving, debate, discourse, media, guest speakers, civic engagement, and environmental education. With educators’ facilitation, students will use their knowledge and resources to employ the Earth Force process to identify and research community environmental issues, resulting in a civic action project that addresses their selected issue. Youth will be asked to identify environmental issues, problems, or phenomena in their community through discovery. They will select, research, and define potential root causes. Through consensus and democracy, they will select one to address. Students will brainstorm and research ways of mitigating the problem through practice and/or policy. Students will identify stakeholders within their community to work with. Youth will implement, reflect, and celebrate a project to solve their chosen environmental issue, problem, or phenomena through civic engagement. This method of learning will ensure students learn, master STEAM concepts and become civic-minded by applying what is learned to problem-solving various issues found in their communities. Youth will engage in civic action by changing policies, practices, furthering research or public education. Learners develop agency and confidence to become active participants in their communities by developing and using their knowledge, gaining partnerships and making democratic decisions.

Club

NEW: Begins Virtually Youth Environmental Civic Action Club YECAC -- Ages 11 - 19 years Be a YECAC! Seek to explore, engage, respond, and serve your community and the environment. Work as a team using democracy, leadership, & imagination, to identify community environmental issues to address. If you are interested in applying your passions, talents and would like to learn more about you community, leadership, environmental science, social justice, government/policy, technology, engineering, management, finance, web design, journalism, technical writing, music, theater, film, art, and design, join the club! There will be two introductory opportunities to learn about the club. Register to attend one of the following meetings. beginning on: Tuesday, December 8th at 4-5 p.m. Introduction to YECAC is FREE. Annual membership to the club is $30 fee (includes t-shirt) FREE

COURSES

FREE SCIENCE

Introduction to Watershed Impact

Ages 10-18 yr. old

Students will spend the morning defining a community and exploring the driving question: “What is clean water?” Youth will identify various types of clean water, and issues that impact clean water through investigation, exploration, discourse, debate, research and civic engagement. They will select, research, & define root causes for impaired water. In the afternoon they will perform physical and chemical water testing at a nearby stream. Youth will learn about their watershed and best management practices. Students will discover their community and the impact they have on it. The course is emphasizes subjects in Earth, Environmental Science, Geography, Government, and Civics. Location: Trails and Trees Environmental Center 1731 S York, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 When: TBA Bring a lunch and a reusable water bottle. Bring a laptop if you have one. FREE

All class and course registration is encouraged to be completed 7 days

prior to the program beginning. Classes registered under 7 days will

incure an additional $5.00/class.

Watershed Impact This course is a continuation of Introduction to Watershed Impact? It is recommended to take the Introduction to Watershed Impact prior to the Watershed Impact course. Students will define a community and explore the driving question, “What is clean water?” They will begin by identify various types of clean water concerns they have within their community. Next, they will research and identify an issue they want to address. Then, students will brainstorm ways of mitigating the problem through practice and/or policy. Lastly, students will design, implement, reflect, and celebrate their own project to solve an environmental issue, problem, or phenomena through civic engagement. Students will have an opportunity to participate in a citizen science stream testing program partnering with Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM) and they will perform physical and chemical water testing at an impaired tributary entering the Conodoquinet Creek. Gaining Base Knowledge: Research and investigate six issues: climate change, clean water( watersheds), plastics, endocrine disruptors, air quality, and waste. Earth Force Process: Discover: Step 1 – Community Environmental Inventory Decide: Step 2 – Issue Selection Discover: Step 3 – Policy and Community Practice Research Decide: Step 4 – Goal and Strategy Selection Act: Step 5 – Planning and Taking Civic Action Conclude: Step 6 – Review and Share $120 non-refundable fee

TLCEducation

“Environmental damages were caused by individuals’ actions and it takes individuals' contributions to repair them. “ by Tamela Trussell However, it is going to take more than adjusting our personal living habits to slow and stop the big environmental issues we have created. We need to understand the importance of learning about policies and practices and learn how to change them.