Since 2010, New York Folklore has collaborated with the environmental organization, the Schoharie River Center to engage youth in the exploration of the concept of “place” and the connections of culture to the environment in the Mohawk River Watershed of New York State. The program merges the scientific inquiry of watershed ecology, macro-invertebrate identification, and water quality monitoring with folklife documentation and oral history, drawing upon the local folkways and cultural activities of the Mohawk Watershed and the cultural connections to the region’s waters in the model of STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math).
The project premises that the coupling of humanities and scientific inquiry encourages “watershed consciousness,” in that it encourages the practice of profound citizenship in both the natural and social worlds, drawing attention to ourselves as members of ecological communities (Christensen, 2003). The New York Folklore/Schoharie River Center project explores the Mohawk Watershed as a “commons,” with the Mohawk River and its tributaries forming a chain that links communities.
The project involves youth in the cultural and scientific study of the impacts of climate change and weather within a watershed environment, environmental stewardship of local waters, community archaeology and local/oral history research, participatory ethnography, and digital film making. The ongoing program currently engages youth in five counties of New York State. They are organized in learning cohorts called "Environmental Study Teams" or "EST," with EST groups currently active in Schenectady, Amsterdam, Town of Charleston (Montgomery County), and Middleburgh. Youth meet weekly to pursue projects that merge cultural documentation with scientific documentation. Their advocacy has included highlighting environmental justice issues in the region; advocating for recognition of the region's African American heritage; a documentation of a "sense of place" held by residents along the Mohawk River and Barge Canal; a documentary video examining the history and impacts of the Coleco Toy Company on plastics pollution; and urban ecology within the City of Schenectady.
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Project Website: click here
State: New York
Category: Education, Environmental Issues, Youth Services
The project premises that the coupling of humanities and scientific inquiry encourages “watershed consciousness,” in that it encourages the practice of profound citizenship in both the natural and social worlds, drawing attention to ourselves as members of ecological communities (Christensen, 2003). The New York Folklore/Schoharie River Center project explores the Mohawk Watershed as a “commons,” with the Mohawk River and its tributaries forming a chain that links communities.
The project involves youth in the cultural and scientific study of the impacts of climate change and weather within a watershed environment, environmental stewardship of local waters, community archaeology and local/oral history research, participatory ethnography, and digital film making. The ongoing program currently engages youth in five counties of New York State. They are organized in learning cohorts called "Environmental Study Teams" or "EST," with EST groups currently active in Schenectady, Amsterdam, Town of Charleston (Montgomery County), and Middleburgh. Youth meet weekly to pursue projects that merge cultural documentation with scientific documentation. Their advocacy has included highlighting environmental justice issues in the region; advocating for recognition of the region's African American heritage; a documentation of a "sense of place" held by residents along the Mohawk River and Barge Canal; a documentary video examining the history and impacts of the Coleco Toy Company on plastics pollution; and urban ecology within the City of Schenectady.
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Project Website: click here
State: New York
Category: Education, Environmental Issues, Youth Services