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<br />5C <br /> <br />have confirmed their plans to implement the program beginning in January 2009. Four Page 4 <br />additional schools are pending. The program is offered free of charge to public schools <br />and after school programs. The City Manager's office is helping to promote the program <br />and support parent organizers in much the same way that staff provide assistance to <br />neighborhood groups. <br /> <br />III. "YO-IT'S YOUTH OUTDOORS!" <br /> <br />Larry Schweiger, President and CEO National Wildlife Federation asks, "How will we <br />address global warming and other environmental threats if we do not engage and <br />prepare the next generation for these monumental challenges?" Redwood City is <br />answering the call through the creation of YO-It's Youth Outdoors! The objective of YO! <br />is to develop healthy young people who are active in the outdoors and stewards of the <br />environment. All along the way, we will be equipping youth with the skills they need to <br />be successful participants in the emerging green economy. <br /> <br />To achieve our objectives the City Manager's Office is convening a collaboration of <br />environmental education and youth organizations who are building a continuum of <br />outdoor education opportunities for children and youth in our community. The continuum <br />currently includes garden and science enrichment partnerships at Taft and John Gill <br />elementary schools and integrated classroom and field studies programs at Kennedy <br />Middle School and Sequoia and Redwood High Schools. As part of this effort, we are <br />managing the Environmental Solutions Forum II (ESF II) on contract with the Silicon <br />Valley Community Foundation. ESF II was launched in fall 2006 to build on the goal of <br />targeting gaps in environmental stewardship education. The project currently focuses on <br />Kennedy Middle and Sequoia High School and coordinates teachers, schools, agencies <br />and local nonprofits to provide an environmental curriculum centered on local <br />ecosystems and their interconnections. As the project continues to mature, staff looks <br />forward to incorporating service learning and workforce development opportunities into <br />the program offerings and expanding the effort to additional schools. <br /> <br />To better connect and expand environmental education across the city, staff are <br />working with the City's Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department to <br />develop YO! as a signature afterschool program at school sites served by the <br />Department. Staff are also working with Redwood City 2020 and the City's <br />Redevelopment Agency to identify the feasibility of creating green job pathways for <br />older youth in the community. <br /> <br />FISCAL IMPACT <br />None - this is an information only report <br /> <br />Peter Ingram <br />City Manager <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />p,. <br />,- /ttJ' ~ <br />-~L~J' <br /> <br />fu .-? <br />......~ ~<- /~ <br />Beth Ross <br />Environmental Initiatives Manager <br />\\ <br />