[PCA] USFS International Programs Seminar Series presents: Rocking The Boat: Two Decades of Youth Empowerment, Community Engagement and River Revitalization in the South Bronx ((May 24; 12-1:30pm ET)

[De Angelis, Patricia]

Hi All,
Passing along this info - folks in DC area can attend in person and there
is also a weblink to attend remotely - they ask you to rsvp.
Looks interesting!
-Patricia
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U.S. Forest Service International Programs Seminar Series presents:

Rocking The Boat: Two Decades of Youth Empowerment, Community Engagement
and River Revitalization in the South Bronx

by Adam Green, Founder and Executive Director, and Jasmine Benitez, alumna
and Assistant Director of Public Programs – Rocking the Boat

When: Thursday, May 24 from 12 – 1:30 pm(EST)

Where: LACC Room of 1 Thomas Circle, NW, Suite 400
<https://maps.google.com/?q=1+Thomas+Circle,+NW,+Suite+400&entry=gmail&source=g>

You can also join virtually:  https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/937314573

RSVP to Liza Paqueo (lvpaqueo at fs.fed.us)
(Please feel free to forward this invitation to interested parties)

At the confluence of the Bronx River and the East River in New York City is
Hunts Point, where Rocking the Boat has spent 20 years empowering young
people from the surrounding communities through building wooden boats and
using these boats to research, restore, row, and sail on the Bronx River.

Rocking the Boat is more than just an afterschool and summer experiential
education program.  A team of licensed social workers provide high school
aged Youth Development Program participants and alumni with comprehensive
social, emotional support, academic, and post-secondary support, helping
them map out a plan for developing and reaching long-term personal and
professional goals.  As a result, nearly 100% of its students graduate from
high-school education on time (as compared to 33% in the overall South
Bronx) and 50% have received bachelor’s degrees (as compared to 11%).  The
larger community has also benefitted from Rocking the Boat through the
organization’s suite of Public Programs that engage school and youth groups
during the school day and over the summer as well as families and community
members through its free Saturday Community  Rowing, Sailing, and Birding
programs, resulting in a community more invested in the health of its
citizens and its local river ecosystem.

Revitalizing the Bronx River, an intensely urban waterway that has suffered
from decades of neglect, is central to Rocking the Boat’s strategy of youth
and community development.  The watershed and the wetlands is home to a
variety of endemic wildlife and is a stopover site for many migratory
birds, such as tree swallows and the red-necked phalarope.  Bird and fish
monitoring activities, water quality monitoring, and wetland creation and
maintenance have been essential not just in improving the health of the
Bronx River ecosystem, but also in developing a deep appreciation and
awareness of one of New York City’s most unique natural resources among the
people who live along its banks.


Located about 10 miles from Times Square, Hunts Point is both home to the
largest food distribution center in the world but also the poorest zip code
east of the Mississippi River.  Not only do local communities not benefit
from the bounty of food that travels in and out of their neighborhoods, but
the 15,000 daily truck trips have resulted in the worst air quality and
highest childhood high asthma rates in New York City.  More than a third of
the local population is composed of school-age children, many of who
contend with health challenges as well as exposure to high crime and
violence.

The importance of the Rocking the Boat’s role in the South Bronx community
is paramount—not just for its youth but for the health of the Bronx River
ecosystem and the local population.  What began as a small boatbuilding
project with a single volunteer is now a multifaceted organization that has
served over 30,000 young people and community members, at a rate of over
4,000 per year.

Join us on Thursday, May 24, 2018, at noon, for a presentation by Rocking
the Boat Founder and Executive Director Adam Green and alumna and Assistant
Director of Public Programs Jasmine Benitez.  Together, they will describe
Rocking the Boat’s founding and growth over time and discuss how it has
used the restoration, revitalization, and celebration of the Bronx River as
a deeply powerful medium for youth and community development.

For more information on Rocking the Boat, click here:
http://rockingtheboat.org/

About our Speakers:

Adam Green
Adam started the volunteer project that would become Rocking the Boat in
1995 during a semester off from Vassar College. Influenced by his
experience teaching kids about the Hudson River aboard the Hudson River
Sloop Clearwater, he developed a program that used the process of building
and using wooden boats as a way to educate and empower young people from
underserved communities. He has received numerous awards and accolades for
Rocking the Boat, including an Echoing Green Fellowship, a Union Square
Award for grassroots organizing, and a Manhattan Institute Social
Entrepreneurship Award. Most recently, he was named one of 25 international
2014 CNN Heroes.

Jasmine Benitez
Jasmine was born and raised in the Bronx.  She was first introduced to
Rocking the Boat when her high school participated in an On-Water Classroom
program during her sophomore year.  Jasmine immediately joined Rocking the
Boat's On-Water Youth Development Program and spent much of the rest of her
high school extracurricular time learning to row, research, and revitalize
the Bronx River.  She went on to pursue her Bachelor's degree in Psychology
(with a minor in Environmental Studies) at St. John's University and
returned to work at Rocking the Boat during the summers as an On-Water
Program Assistant.  After graduation, Jasmine worked as the Volunteer
Coordinator at the Bronx River Alliance before joining Rocking the Boat’s
full time staff in 2015.

First GoToMeeting? Let's do a quick system check:
https://link.gotomeeting.com/system-check
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For  more information on US Forest Service International Programs, please
visit : http://www.fs.fed.us/about-agency/international-programs
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