Denver, April 28, 2008 - More than 1,000 students from 41 metro Denver schools are competing for top honors in the 11th annual Youth Summit on Wednesday, April 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Gates Education Center at the Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele Street. The event features student solutions to environmental issues such as climate change, water quality, stray animals, and the impact of school cafeterias on the environment. Every booth includes an interactive component to heighten visitors understanding of the issue. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will be present for the opening ceremony beginning at 10 a.m.
"There’s tremendous energy around this event," said Lisa Bardwell, executive director for Front Range Earth Force. "It starts with students choosing a topic that genuinely concerns them and transferring that energy into exhibits that will make lasting impressions on many people. Our students also visit every booth, so the learning ripples out to all those involved." This is the first year the public is invited to attend the event co-hosted by Front Range Earth Force and the Denver Zoo’s Community Leadership Project.
Performance is also part of the program. Student will share original songs, rap, dance, and skits to illustrate environmental concerns from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Wildlife Theatre. The event also includes special animal demonstrations by zoo docents, face-painting and spray-on body art.
Ideas for the exhibits come from Earth Force’s Community Action and Problem Solving curriculum being taught in the classroom. CAPS begins with students targeting a local environmental problem. Once an issue is identified, students analyze public and private policy around the topic. The curriculum then moves from awareness to action as students create a plan to address the problem. Examples of CAPS include students conducting an energy audit of a school and creating school policies to reduce energy use, bringing curb-side recycling to a community, reducing liter by working with the city to install more trash cans, and launching a community education campaign about pollution. Together, teachers and students assess the progress of the work as it unfolds. Celebration is a key component.
"When kids learn that they are in charge and have a say, the leadership pours out of them," said an Earth Force teacher about the capacity of students to really make a difference in their communities and how that ties them to their world, helps them to think bigger, etc.
Teachers using CAPS receive training and ongoing support in the Earth Force problem-solving process. This support helps educators create hands-on learning experiences for youth around local environmental improvement projects. Earth Force provides educators with on-going training, materials, site visits, guest speakers, grant opportunities, lesson plans, support with field trips, and evaluation.
Suncor Energy USA and GreenPrint Denver’s Tree by Tree: The Mile High Million are proud sponsors of the 11th annual Youth Summit.