Engage, Connect, Protect

Building environmental strength through a diversity of youth

• Author is founder and CEO of the Greening Youth Foundation
• African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans are far more likely to be impacted by environmental degradation and have been largely left out of the discussion around conservation and land stewardship
• The environmental movement has not been inclusive in its platforms, concerns and cultural perspectives
• This book is the untold story of the crucial work that is being done by a unique, hopeful and creative movement activating a new generation of environmental stewards
• Explains how publicizing the positive effects of connecting to nature and healthy living is leading more young people of color into careers in natural resource management
• A larger political statement about the urgency to create a workforce in these communities as well as and education about the resources that already exist
• A roadmap for understanding how America is creating environmental leaders in communities that sit far outside the stereotypical upper-middle-class white liberal enclaves
• Explores solutions that are working in communities of color
• Includes a new database of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Institutions and Universities and Tribal Colleges along with their areas of focus in the book.

Audience:
Entrepreneurs, diverse communities, educators, environmental employers, municipalities, youth workers, community development workers, non-profits, youth employment organizations.

Regional interest
Georgia, New Jersey

International
Provides a model for international development.

Countries of interest
Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana and South Africa

Building environmental strength through a diversity of youth

Engage, Connect, Protect explodes the myth that environmental issues are primarily of interest to wealthy white communities.

Revealing the deep and abiding interest that African American, Latino, and Native American communities—many of whom live in degraded and polluted parts of the country—have in our collective environment, Engage, Connect, Protect is part eye-opening critique of the cultural divide in environmentalism, part biography of a leading social entrepreneur, and part practical toolkit for engaging diverse youth. It covers:

• Why communities of color are largely unrecognized in the environmental movement
• How to bridge the cultural divide and activate a new generation of environmental stewards
• A curriculum for engaging diverse youth and young adults through culturally appropriate methods and activities
• Resources for connecting mainstream America to organizations working with diverse youth within environmental projects, training, and employment.

Engage, Connect, Protect is a wake-up call for businesses, activists, educators, and policymakers to recognize the work of grassroots activists in diverse communities and create opportunities for engaging with diverse youth as the next generation of environmental stewards, while the concern about the state of our land, air, and water continues to grow.

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: The New Paradigm for Environmental Consciousness
Chapter 2: Environmental Jargon Creates Exclusion
Chapter 3: Nature as Healer
Chapter 4: Activating a New Generation
Chapter 5: Careers
Chapter 6: Going International
Chapter 7: Changing the Culture
Chapter 8: Culturally Relevant Curriculum

Appendix 1: Environmental Organizations Led by People of Color
Appendix 2: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Appendix 3: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)
Appendix 4: Tribal Colleges and Universities

Index
About the Authors
A note about the Publisher