Educating our future decision makers.  You can, You will.

The seven-week long course is schedule to start this November.  Classes will take place, both indoors and in an outdoor-classroom setting.  The sessions will cover topics relating to water science, supply and quality; habitat; land use; conservation; community development; environmental justice and ways to take action.  Students will be exposed to local specialists in their field and to organizations currently working in the region to improve quality of life and flora and fauna habitat.  Below you will find a course timeline and topic outline.

Compton Creek Mural by :  www.elacamp.org

Students will go through an over view of the program, goals and expectations.  They will meet classmates and familiarize themselves with the campus.  We will also take a tour to the soft-bottom part of Compton creek to provide a place-based framework for our classes.  We will start to understand the topic of surface water quality and its connection to and through our communities. 

We will begin our educational journey in understanding water, it’s properties and our connection to this resource.  We will start to learn about our local waterways and basins and get an insight on how water moves throughout the state to get to our faucets.  Through a visual journey, we will learn about our rivers and streams, where they start and where their waters end up.  We will learn about the many connections these waters make throughout our communities and get an overview of ways we can integrate streams, parks, water quality and supply through smart planning in our cities.

We will take a field trip to different spots along the Los Angeles River and Compton Creek to tour projects that are capturing water onsite while providing community benefits.  Along the way we will learn about the history of our cities and their development and current city efforts to rehabilitate them with projects that promote healthier communities while capturing stormwater.  A hands on experience will allow us to utilize water quality monitoring equipment to test the water in Compton creek and go over our results onsite to understand our findings and make the connection of water quality, pollution sources and impacts on our oceans.  We will also monitor native habitat along the creek.

Understanding how we are all connected to our surrounding environment and local resources is essential for a sustainable future.  We will learn about how humans acquire, manage and use natural resources, and identify factors that affect the importance of those resources.  We will learn more about our local water sources and how these are connected to our local native plants and vegetation (flora) and the wildlife surrounding our urban, riverside and coastal environment.

On this day we will take a tour of urban farms in the Compton area and get an opportunity to talk with the farmers cultivating the land.  We will learn how buying food from local farms provides communities with fresher produce because it has to travel less distances to get to your table and how urban farms can also strengthen the local economy by keeping your dollars circulating locally.

Populations are growing and so is the water demand.  This in-the-field experience will take us to a project that recycles water to increase local water supplies.  We will get the opportunity to learn about and recognize the importance of recycled (reclaimed) water and learn about ways to manage this resource as a way to reduce our dependence on imported water. 

This day will take us on a tour of local inland/coastal wetlands.  We will learn about the role these fascinating ecological environments play a role in our ecosystem.  This event will also include an education trip to the beach.

We will tour our urban communities and take note of current places that provide opportunities for learning about how we fit in to our environment and how communal neighborhood spaces provide opportunity for building capacity and community building.

We will learn about the correlations between healthy spaces and physical and mental well being.  Students will hear from local community leaders about their work and efforts to improve the quality of life and opportunities for the youth to get involved and become active in efforts to transform their communities.

Changes in temperature and shifts in climate can cause severe droughts in some areas and huge floods in others.  We will hear from a climate expert why this is happening, how we as individuals can help to slow down global warming and how to prepare through adaptation.

The culminating event will give the students an opportunity to share their learning experiences with their friends families and their community.