YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL HEALING
Youth Environmental Healing emphasizes environment and community centered education, connecting with the earth and those in their community to value nature and their neighbors. Empowering youth since 2023, this program offers an opportunity for youth to learn how to create and maintain CoC’s community garden. YEH collaborates with partners to create engaging workshops, covering topics like environmental privilege, indigenous practices, and emotional literacy.
LEADERSHIP AND IMPACT
Youth learn leadership through the responsibilities of creating and maintaining a garden. The garden functions as a community garden, where they learn about the impacts of food insecurity in Detroit. Emphasizing the importance of getting involved with their community, youth develop leadership skills and make an impact by learning how to cultivate plants and harvesting their yield to address food insecurity in their neighborhood.
NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The garden is also used as a medium to connect with nature. Youth learn to connect with their food and learn about food sovereignty by growing their own produce. They learn about the factors that impact the health and wellbeing of Southwest Detroit, such as air pollution, industrial zones, and trucking routes. Through interacting with and learning about the environment, paired with opportunities to connect with nature, they have a deeper understanding of the environment and the lack of nature in the city.