The KidBuilders Smitha/Osborne Community Engagement (KSMOCE) Project
Issue: Environmental Responsibility
Grant Amount: $26,071.00
Marietta, GA
Year Funded: 2011
Organization: Kidbuilders Inc.
Contact Information
Bonita Dukes (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address))
KidBuilders, Inc., in partnership with Smitha Middle School, Chattahoochee Technical College and Kennesaw State University, will engage the youth of Smitha Middle School in the power of architecture and environmental conservatism to transform their devastated community through service learning. The specific community challenge currently impacting the residents of the Smitha/Osborne (S/O) zone is environmental conservatism and community activities participation among its low income and minority communities. These families are less likely to participate in environmentally conservative activities due to a lack of information about the cost implications.
The KSMOCE curriculum includes, 1) Investigation of eco-friendly materials. Youth will list many causes for the disinvested community and environmental crisis and discuss why these problems exist; generate ideas as to solve such problems; be able to investigate environmental efficiency; discuss the use of renewable energy technologies and their environmental benefits through modeled experiments; be able to minimize the negative impact of their designed spaces by enhancing efficiency and moderation; be able to list many causes for our trash crisis; generate ideas to reduce/recycle the amount of waste we produce, 2)Learn how to develop habits of responsible citizenship, teambuilding and leadership skills. Youth will explore the variety of ways to solve community problems; be able to convey ideas verbally and in written form about their community’s future in an effective and reasonable manner; be able to become stakeholders in their communities and the driving force behind ensuring sustainability and neighborhood.
Project Updates
Global Youth Service Day
In April, students, teachers, and community volunteers gathered on the site of KSMOCE project to begin work on their community beautification project. The day was filled with 100s of volunteers lending their hand to improve the natural elements of their environment.
New Garden Club at Smitha Middle School
As part of the environmental awareness efforts of the KSMOCE project, Smitha Middle school has instituted a garden club for students who would like to learn more about plants and gardening. With the assistance of landscape architects and horticulture students from Chattahoochee Technical College, the club members will lead the urban garden projects planned in the KSMOCE project. They are learning how to use what they learn in their academic classes in real world applications.
http://web.me.com/smithaband/smithamiddleschool/Student_Activities.html
Going Green
Students begin implementing some of their eco-friendly ideas by selecting and planting trees and plants that are both adaptive and native to their environment.
Habitat for Humanity's World Habitat Day 2011
Volunteer workers recruit support for Habitat For Humanity's World Habitat Day 2011 by providing information to the Smitha/Osborne community.
Environmental Awareness Seminar
Residents of the Smitha/Osborne community learn about ways to increase water efficiency in their homes through an Environmental Awareness seminar held at Smitha Middle School.
Habitat for Humanity's World Habitat Day 2011
Volunteer workers recruit support for Habitat For Humanity's World Habitat Day 2011 by providing information to the Smitha/Osborne community.
KSMOCE recruits Chattahoochee Tech. Horticulture Students
KidBuilders, Inc. representative, Bonita Dukes, reviews the KSMOCE service-learning program with Horticulture students from community partner, Chattahoochee Tech.
Plans for the urban garden, use of sustainable, native and adaptive plants were developed, along with eco-friendly materials.
KSMOCE participates in a day of recycling!
The KSMOCE project joined the Environmental Protection Agency, local universities, community and corporate partners for a day of recycling and environmental awareness.
Students collected, sorted and separated recycling materials to help bring awareness about the importance of reducing, reusing and restoring waste materials. Approximately, 90 percent of the waste materials collected were successfully diverted from landfills and incinerators.
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