Antioch New England Institute CO-SEED Project Antioch New England Institute's CO-SEED Project is a three year partnership with schools in New England that is aimed at building an ecologically literate citizenry.  In Boston, CO-SEED is working with the Haley School in Roslindale, Young Achievers Math and Science Pilot School in Jamaica Plain and the Dearborn Middle School in Roxbury.  CO-SEED communities and schools work together to restructure school curriculum to study local places, solve community issues and use the resources close to the school.  Partnership between schools and local environmental and community organizations offer rich opportunities to simultaneously enhance student achievement, community vitality and environmental quality.  Initial evaluations indicate that CO-SEED has an impact on: Teacher practice (especially teacher engagement/growth, teacher collaboration, and meeting curriculum goals) Student engagement in learning Student civic engagement Student attachment to place (especially time spent outdoors and learning through local resources) Student environmental stewardship behavior

Educated and energized citizenry is crucial to the protection and enhancement of Boston’s environment. Encouraging Boston residents to explore and enjoy their natural surroundings can foster a better appreciation for the vital role our environment plays in the health of all its inhabitants.  Exposure alone, however, is not enough. Education is essential to ensure that all citizens understand the critical role the environment plays in the city’s quality of life—and the important role they can play in protecting it.

Primary Approaches

We are presently focusing our efforts on:

Enhancing quantity and effectiveness of experiential environmental programs for young people.
It is critical that the next generation has an understanding and appreciation of the beauty and fragility of our environment. We are working to develop the capacity and quality of hands-on programs that engage youth experientially and move them from awareness to action. We also support programs that provide related career development and job training opportunities for youth.

Diversifying participation in environmental education and outdoor recreation programs.
Effective environmental programming has not always been available to urban communities. We support organizations that are committed to developing programs inclusive of and tailored for communities of color.

Desired Outcomes

We hope that our efforts, in concert with those of nonprofits, other funders, politicians, and community leaders, will lead to five specific outcomes:

• Increased effectiveness and availability of experiential environmental programs for youth
• More effective programs to attract urban residents to natural areas
• Increased public awareness of the role a healthy environment plays in building healthy communities
• Improved advocacy for the environmental causes of urban residents
• Enhanced linkages and collaboration among organizations providing experiential environmental programs.

Measures

We supported the publication of "Measuring Results" by the Coevolution Institute that identifies ways to measure the impact on the attitudes and behaviors of informal learning contexts such as zoos, museums, parks, and other natural settings. We are also tracking:

• Number of experiential environmental education programs both, in and out of school
• Impact of experiential environmental programs on academic results and environmentally responsible behavior.

An Invitation

While our efforts are based on research and knowledge of the field, they remain our best bets. We’re eager to learn from your insights, experience, and creative ideas. We invite you to use our suggestion form if you have an idea you believe will further the strategy outlined in this section.