Photo Credit: The Watershed Project
Vision
People who live, work and learn in and near Richmond spend more time outdoors, reaping the many benefits related to health and wellness, social justice, positive youth development and education
Mission
To collectively expand equitable access to the outdoors for people who live, work and learn in and near Richmond
Five Year Implementation Plan
The ROC five-year implementation plan, beginning in Fall 2023, focuses within the school-based hubs of Verde K-8 and Nystrom Elementary, including the middle and high schools they feed into as well as the identified flatland neighborhoods of North, South, and Central Richmond. The ROC goal is to create a pathway of preK-12 + families outdoor programming so that Richmond youth and families in the identified geographic and school pilot hubs have access to multiple, repeat, and reinforcing outdoor experiences, paving the way for expansion throughout West Contra Costa Unified School District.
Outcome Areas and Outcomes
Education
• Increase in understanding of environmental education program content
• Increase in social-emotional development and competencies
• Increase in engagement in learning
• Increase in culturally relevant curriculum
• Increased positive attitude toward nature and science learning
Positive Youth Development
• Increase in civic and community engagement
• Increase in self-efficacy
• Increased pro-environmental identity
• Increase in participants’ competence, confidence, character, caring, connection or contribution
• Increased motivation and ability to care for community
• Increase in youth reported positive feelings towards family and community
• Increase in time playing and feelings of joy
• Increased sense of community belonging
Health and Wellness
• Increase in time spent in nature and decrease in time spent on screens
• Increase in connection to nature
• Increase in positive attitudes toward nature and environment
• Increase in comfort and enjoyment to explore outdoor spaces
• Increase in self-agency in the outdoors
• Decrease in fear, anxiety, unknown
• Increase in sense of place and place connection
• Increase in perceived wellness and health as result of being in outdoors
Social Justice
• Increase in participants who feel welcome and comfortable in outdoor spaces
• Decrease in barriers to accessing nature
• Decreased perception of natural outdoor experiences and/or areas as inaccessible
• Increased knowledge of outdoor opportunities through ROC and community
• Increase in programs honoring Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) in outdoor spaces in outdoor spaces
• Increase in diversity of organizational leadership, program staff and mentors
• Increase in culturally aware and responsive programming