Tanglewood Nature Center & Southside Community Center
How can you make lessons in environmental stewardship and recycling resonate with a population of young people raised indoors? This was the challenge faced by Pam Noviello, Executive Director of the Southside Community Center. Among the ěbeautifully diverseî group of children served by the Center’s free after school program, Noviello observed a dearth of understanding about the human impact on the natural world.
“We wanted to get the kids outside, interacting one-on-one with the nature all around them,” Noviello remembers “just to encourage them not to litter.” Enter Emily Hofelich-Jack of Tanglewood Nature Center whose Nature Rangers/Urban Environmental Club is designed to do just that. It’s been a match made in heaven, or the garden at least.
“We began getting together with the kids once a week, playing environmental games and discovering their own backyard.” says Hofelich-Jack. “When we decided to grow a community garden, we planted only edible things – veggies, flowers and herbs.” Now, like the garden, the project has flourished. It is by far the most popular after school activity at the center. The kids tend the garden, monitor the rain barrel, compost and worm bins, invite their friends, share their produce and learn invaluable lessons on trust, responsibility, teamwork, healthy eating and exercise. Relationships with each other, their families, and most importantly, their world have matured and are sure to produce healthy offshoots. The best part is everyone has fun in the process and litter is no longer a problem.
