by Megan Edwards
I believe that knowledge is power, and that through the power of education we can change the world. I value my education very much, but I have found that through my years of schooling, there was something lacking in my education. I didn’t learn about issues of sustainability, global climate change, renewable energy, etc, until I had reached college. These issues are important, vital for the safety of our planet. These are issues that children should grow up being familiar with, so that they are cognizant of the problems that will be facing their world. I believe that elementary aged children should be educated on ideas including sustainability, global climate change, and consumption, while simultaneously being encouraged to be creative and innovative problem solvers. I’ve decided to create an after school program for the elementary schools in my hometown, Bellingham, MA, called “Greener Today, Brighter Tomorrow” to address this need in my community.
This program will be designed by me, and followed through by the Bellingham Youth Volunteer Association, a high school volunteer group that I started during my senior year of high school. High school students will be used to facilitate the program. They will go to the three elementary schools in our town once a week for about 45 minutes to go through the lesson plans with the children. The program will run for a duration of half of the school year, or one semester. We will be able to measure the success of the program by the number of students attending the program by the end of the semester, and the number of high school facilitators who volunteer to facilitate the program. We will also be able to measure the success by the amount of students who sign up to participate in the following year.
Each week would provide the students with a new lesson to learn. Examples include sustainability, global climate change, consumption, locally sourced food, the supply chain, transportation, and renewable energy. The children will gain a whole new vocabulary, and an understanding of the problems that are affecting not only our community but of the global community. During our after school time, we would provide a safe space for kids to think about these new ideas and express their thoughts on them. This open space would make the children feel validated, and that their thoughts are valuable and worth sharing. We would also do activities with the children, and have them share their work. I feel like this would give the children the confidence that they need to understand that they can make a difference. The kids will participate in activities to promote sustainability, for example, a bike riding/walking challenge, or a recycling journal.
To get program this up and running, I will need to acquire a small budget. I will need to purchase art supplies and craft goods to use with the children during activities. I will also need money to provide the children with after school snacks. I estimate that I would need about $250 in total to supply art supplies and snacks once a week for a semester. Regarding other resources needed, I will need to reach out to the Bellingham Youth Volunteer Association at Bellingham High School for volunteers, as well as the elementary schools in my town.
Challenges that could arise for this project includes permission from the schools, though I do not anticipate any setbacks because of this. Another potential issue could be the number of students interested. To try and avoid this problem, I will market and advertise for the program well around the Bellingham school system and community.