Growing the Urban Forestry Education Center

In collaboration with the UC California Naturalist Program, San Jose Conservation Corps (SJCC) is training and certifying 25 Corpsmembers as California Naturalists. As SJCC becomes a UC California Naturalist partner, the organization will have the capacity to provide the certification in-house. With support from the grant, SJCC will train 75 Corpsmembers overall and have them all receive their California Naturalist Certification. Funds are utilized for Corpsmember wages, guest speaker stipends, and training materials/supplies.

With this project, the Authority will help fund standards-based outdoor education programs to students from deep-engagement communities (DEC), Title I schools, and special needs groups for three years. Funding underwrites costs for 120 Title I field trips and 75 transportation stipends, and 24 special needs field trips and transportation stipends. Authority funds will also support training staff on distance-learning/in-person instructional strategies, best practices for working with students with special needs, & cultural relevancy and racial justice.

Valley Verde's San Jose Food Sovereignty Project supports urban agriculture and environmental education in underserved neighborhoods by providing approximately 120 families per year with intensive support to learn to grow fresh, healthy, culturally relevant produce. In collaboration with residents and schools, the organization creates and maintains vibrant urban gardens, provides a curriculum based on environmentally sustainable gardening methods and nutrition, fosters community building and environmental leadership, and increases access to urban green space. Families participate for an entire year or more, which gives them a foundation in growing their own food for the long-term and, ultimately, building a local food system that supports healthy ecosystems.