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Urban Youth Curriculum Mentorship based programs: school-day, afterschool, park-based camps and traveling camps Goal: Youth arts, skateboarding, BMX, music, writing, and environmental studies are integrated with professional design, stewardship, and physical improvements in public parks to create camp + afterschool mentorship programs Mentorship programs are custom tailored according to youth, park, neighborhood, sponsor, and educational needs and interests !very month of the year events are held all over the city in parks "hese events bring energy, funding, and people into the park #owever, there is usually no sustained involvement of youth before and after these events "he event leaves and the park and community are in the same shape, or worse, than before $rban Youth was created to provide something better than this to youth and the rest of the community where events are held %rts, skateboarding, BMX, and other cultural events can put wear on the park and create desires for improved maintenance, new amenities, and ongoing programming that are not fulfilled "emporary skate parks, food kiosks, and beautiful event areas are dismantled and taken away, leaving a void &pen 'oad created the $rban Youth curricula to provide intellectually rigorous programs before, during, and after these events that serve neighborhood youth and improve the park environment for the entire community Before and after events $rban Youth supports camps and after school programs outdoors in the parks where the events are held "raveling from park to park is a core activity (ommunity youth and adults are paid to mentor youth in these programs, providing challenging professional employment and high )uality peer led programs *ermanent park improvements, made by the $rban Youth teams in partnership with the agency, improve the environment for all +n ,-.- &pen 'oad has been dramatically e/panding our team of youth leaders, the number of youth led events, and the parks and gardens that are sites for our $rban Youth mentorship curriculum &ur curriculum is carried out with effective leadership by a senior youth crew from previous years "hese mentors, aged .0 and up, recruit directly in the parks we work in and organi1e a team of a do1en youth aged .- to .2 %n adult leader supports each team +n the summer months a camp is established in the park with this team 3uring the school year this team is the core group of our after school programs $rban Youth is currently e/panding directly because of popular demand from youth participants %fter many years of attracting a small committed core team, we worked with this team to hold such successful events in ,--4 that in ,--5 and ,-.- we needed to provide for up to .,--- youth attendees at each event we held in our parks "his created a demand for additional youth leaders to plan and run activities at these events, and new youth stepped up to this challenge, while keeping the relationship with our e/perienced youth mentors 6e are very pleased with this progress 6e have kept the $rban Youth curricula and structure from previous years, and this has proven to be effective &ur $rban Youth process has provided continuity and a solid foundation, and we have been able to carry out the same process even when scaled up to much higher numbers of youth leaders, youth participants, and parks %s in previous years, $rban Youth has been leading mentor-based camps and after school programs, and recruiting and mentoring new youth leaders primarily through our series of events in parks +n ,-.- we increased the number of events to .,, from 0 in previous years "hese event sites are (ommodore Barry *ark, &pen 'oad 'ooftop, &pen 'oad *ark, Manhattan Bridge 7kate park, "homas 8efferson *ark, 7)uibb *ark, "homas 9reene *ark, Maria #ernande1 *ark, and Betsy #ead *ark %gain, this was in direct response to youth demand %t these events and sites we have been carrying out research, increasing our advocacy work with agencies and partners, planning new events, and making youth identified environmental improvements to public parks

+n ,-.- we saw new synergy and collaboration between youth pro:ects created by $rban Youth participants and partners $rban Youth provided support to these pro:ects at a crucial period in their development Blockstar, the environmental club at Bro;7is, and #arold #unter <oundation are among the non-profit youth focused groups we worked closely with in ,-.- 6e helped Blockstar at their first event in Brooklyn through $rban Youth in ,--5, and this year we supported Blockstar in bringing a public event to Bro;7is in #arlem #arold #unter <oundation, founded in honor of one of our late =ower !ast 7ide youth skateboarders, worked with us to bring youth stewards from &pen 'oad *ark to 6oodward (amp 6oodward is now working to support $rban Youth goals "herefore, we can report that we have been meeting our ,-.- goals for $rban Youth, which involve e/panding our youth base due to strong interest amongst youth participants, strengthening our partner relationships, doubling the number of events our youth teams have led to a do1en and making environmental improvements to new parks citywide with our youth team 2010 Urban Youth Mentorship Programs and Activities +n ,-.- &pen 'oad has e/panded support for youth mentors with a dozen camps and free youth events in NYC parks !ach of these events has encouraged stewardship and improved the natural and built environment through fun and challenging activities popular with young people %rt, skateboarding, music and writing programs were integrated with stewardship, repair, and environmental improvements 6e e/panded support of our senior youth crew from the youth staff of previous years, and we e/panded our relationships with local youth groups as $rban Youth partners $rban Youth recruited and mentored new youth leaders, carried out research, increased our advocacy work with agencies and partners, led events, and made youth identified environmental improvements to public parks 6e e/panded $rban Youth to new neighborhoods at the re)uest of local youth group partners $sing &pen 'oad *ark as a base, we engaged a core team of ., youth leaders between the ages of 0 and .4 and 0 adults and seniors to work on a series of ., events at parks around >ew York (ity "his core team has been working intensively with an additional .- youth and 2 adults at each park event site %t each park , local youth leaders;. adult at each park are involved in a leadership role 6e envision these youth and adults as future leaders at their own park, and in our citywide network +n ,-.- these parks have included (ommodore Barry *ark in Brooklyn, "homas 8efferson *ark in #arlem, "homas 9reene *ark in 9owanus, &pen 'oad 'ooftop in Manhattan, &pen 'oad *ark in Manhattan, 7)uibb *ark in Brooklyn, Manhattan Bridge 7katepark, Betsy #ead *ark in Brownsville, *ier 0, in Manhattan, and Maria #ernande1 *ark in Brooklyn "hese events and activities have all been free and open to the public and each event has been improving the natural and built environment in the park in which it is held

Urban Youth mentor-based camps events and environmental improvements in 2010:

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!pen "oad at A#roPun$ Camp: Commodore %arr& Par$ and P' 20

% team of , adults, ., youth leaders, and ., youth participants from (ommodore Barry *ark and the surrounding neighborhood led the curriculum below for one month before %fro-*unk and for , days of the festival 9oal: %rt, skateboarding, BMX, are integrated with design, stewardship, and environmental improvements in a public park to create a high )uality camp, festival and after school program *articipants use a structured 2 step *articipatory 3esign process that will be used by the local team for ongoing community improvements

Curriculum !utline for %fro-*unk &pen 'oad camp before, during, and after the %fro-*unk <estival &rgani1ing, <act <inding, 9enerating +deas, (reating a *rogram 3esign, =eading the *rogram !rgani(ing %ssessment of community assets and needs %ssessment of (ommodore Barry *ark assets and needs Broad outreach within the park, inside <arragut and +ngersoll #ouses, *7 ,4?, @halil 9ibran %cademy, *7 ,0., *7 ,-, %cademy of %rts and =etters, *arham *ark <ocused outreach: approach people skateboarding, biking, and playing in the park and invite them to the team <orm the team of local youth participants in the pre-event camp, %fro-*unk, and in post event activities <orm the team of local leaders of the pre-event camp, and all other activities 3etermine peopleAs interests, skills, and roles in the program Make needed revisions in organi1ing plan and proceed to <act <inding )act )inding and Generating *deas =earn about <arragut #ouses and neighborhood present, past, and desires for future changes Measure (ommodore Barry *ark and produce digital pi/;maps of the festival area and the neighborhood +nterview neighbors, school principals, program leaders, and youth on improvements to (ommodore Barry *rovide <estival site layout, schedule, and plan to youth team *lan program activities at festival together with the youth team =ead a full day design and outreach family festival at *7 ,- on %fro-*unk festival and (ommodore Barry =earn about *7 ,- and produce maps of the %fro-*unk outreach;family festival area and the neighborhood Create a Program +esign 6ith the youth team, create a program for B days before the %fro-*unk festival %ctivities includeC outreach, skateboarding that meets >Y 7tate 7tandards in *hysical !ducation, biking, participating in baseball games at the park, art, architecture, and mapping activities with children and teenagers within (ommodore Barry ,eading the Program =ocal youth leaders of the pre-event camp, %fro-*unk youth programs, and post event activities at (ommodore Barry *ark, *7 ,-, and the surrounding neighborhoods: &lu 6allace, >ikios 6allace, 7teven =ora, Michael 'ivas, %nthony 'odrigue1, "a:i %meen, 3ave 6illis;B3, @ane (ameron, Mory @amara, 7tephan Martine1, 3en1el <rance, Dictor "homas, "arela @elvin !, 6ade Yates, *atrick 'eid, <iddy Brown, 8oseph 3elgado, 'odney "orres, 'ob (ampbell, "im 'utgers, @eith 6hite, Billy 'ohan, *aula #ewitt %mram, %swad <oster % youth team and 2 adults led a program for the %fro-*unk festivalAs ,-,---+ attendees %ll attendees were invited to participate in the &pen 'oad at %fro-*unk youth program %t (ommodore Barry *ark in Brooklyn we created a youth arts and skateboarding 1one that was the center of youth activities during the three day long %fro*unk festival ., youth from our core team, .- additional youth and 2 adults and seniors recruited directly from (ommodore Barry *ark in the months leading up the the festival, all worked together on the festival overall, youth programs in particular and on environmental improvements to (ommodore Barry *ark "he (ommodore Barry *ark program during the festival had two key components . % broad effort to provide a rich attractive youth area, where graffiti arts, fiber art, doll making, martial arts and environmental studies are integrated with skateboarding "he design of the Epop-upF youth space itself encouraged youth to interact with each other and with people of all ages , % focused curricula on 7kateboarding &n the following page we describe how our 7kateboarding *hysical !ducation programs meet >Y 7tate standards "his is the model for our curricula in each of our core content area

Beginning on page 2 we describe in detail how program and area design at the %fro-*unk event itself led to kids, teens, adults, and seniors all working together "his model is used at all $rban Youth events and parks !pen "oad '$ateboarding Curricula #ollo-s .e- Yor$ 'tate 'tandards in Ph&sical /ducation

Students understand and demonstrate movement concepts and principles in a variety of movement forms: 7kateboarding re)uires self awareness, balance and physical control 7tudents learn to walk, push, glide, skate forward and backward, hop and :ump HollieI, all of which demonstrate different movement concepts and principles Momentum, inertia, friction, slope, incline and other concepts are learned naturally while skateboarding, in a fun, e/periential and challenging atmosphere Students use interpersonal communication skills that respect differences and demonstrate responsible and social behavior: +n &pen 'oad skateboarding physical education classes students depend upon one another, learn from each other, work on skills in a group and work independently 7tudents learn to respect one anotherJs physical capabilities and differences 7kateboarding as a group re)uires students to demonstrate responsible and social behavior by respecting one anotherJs physical space, learning not to skateboard into one another, en:oying the achievements of others, and learning to assist one another in mastering the skills +n skateboarding culture when a skateboarder falls in public others show respect 7tudents in the class )uickly adopt this standard Students exhibit a physically active way of life and understand that physical activity provides opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, self expression, stress reduction and employment: By participating in &pen 'oad skateboarding classes and being encouraged to skateboard on their own after school, and at citywide skateboarding events with their families, students participate in a physically active way of life 7kateboarding is naturally en:oyable and fun for children =earning the sport is challenging, and by increasing the skills learned, the skater is continually challenged to learn more 7kating encourages selfe/pression by teaching the students at their own pace and allowing them to create their own choreography "he physical and mental focus re)uired to skate well, along with the sensation of freedom felt gliding, reduces stress "he career and employment opportunities provided by skating are evident from the sponsorship relationships associated with skateboarding events, and through e/posure of students to skating instructors K professionals who earn a living by skating and teaching the sport Students demonstrate competency in physical skills with proficiency in several: 7kateboarding re)uires competency in a variety of physical skills %t the conclusion of the school year, the students are able to demonstrate competency in numerous physical skills on the skateboard, including standing, pushing, gliding, skating forward and backward, balancing on one foot, hopping, :umping, turning forward and backward, and navigating safely through the playground Students demonstrate safe and responsible personal and social behavior in physical activity settings: +n &pen 'oad skateboarding classes, students learn and are able to demonstrate safe behavior while using a skateboard "his includes the proper way to wear and care for the e)uipment, the safe way to fall and get up, and how to distinguish between safe and unsafe skateboarding behavior %ll of the skills learned will include the proper and safe way to e/ecute each maneuver, with discussion of the possible conse)uences of not e/ecuting the maneuvers safely 7tudents learn safe ways to assist someone who has fallen, to avoid bumping into other skateboarders, and to respectfully alert other skaters who may not be aware of their pro/imity

(ommodore Barry *ark: Mentor based camp program

%reas where youth can design skateboard decks, make graffiti murals, and draw were aligned with tables full of knitting and sewing supplies and childrenAs art materials "eens, seniors, adults and kids naturally worked side by side because of the layout of these freely available materials "hey began interacting and mi/ing naturally

%n area where teens could come and sit in the shade was open to everyone all day "his teen area was in a walkway between the event areas +t was private and public at the same timeC very appealing to teens

"eenages recruited one another from this shady area to teach young kids and seniors skateboarding, which was fun and interactive and led to new relationships forming % youth filmer H"racy =andon, .4I filmed, edited and produced a video for &pen 'oad of the event http://www.vimeo.com/1296 !"2 % tutorial E#ow to Measure your *arkF using 9oogle !arth, by and for youth was published on public mapping and park design websites, and this tutorial features (ommodore Barry *ark

https://picasawe#.$oo$%e.com/&pen'oad(ark/(ark)esi$n*ow+o,easureYour-ite.feat/direct%ink 3igital pictures studied and produced by adult;youth mentor teams are here: http:;;playgrounddesign blogspot com;,-.-;-0;mentor-pairs-took-digital-pi/-of html (ommodore Barry *ark is a severely deteriorated and underused park located between two public housing pro:ects <or a period of two months before the event &pen 'oad went into both public housing pro:ects, to all local schools and groups, and in the park itself 6e did face to face outreach, at all different times of day <or a period of one month before %fro-*unk this outreach took the form of a mentorship-based camp, using $rban Youth curricula <rom these activities we learned more about the park, recruited people to the event in the park, and also chan$ed the park itse%f #y chan$in$ the socia% environment. "he effect was immediate and profound *ersonal relationships formed between people who had a common goal of improving (ommodore Barry *ark %fro-*unk was attended by ,-,---+ people over a three day period including at least .,--- youth, and the *arks 3epartment has been communicating with us on permanent environmental improvements to (ommodore Barry *ark 7ome of these improvements were previously proposed by the community, and some were conceived and proposed during $rban Youth planning (ommodore Barry *ark has also been a base for one of our innovative additions to the $rban Youth curricula $sing the maps and research we developed in the past, we created a Par$ +esign Game, where youth create maps of parks, create improvements virtually, and then use these virtual parks to engage a youth advocacy team to make improvements in the real park itself "his has proven successful in the parks surrounding (ommodore Barry and itAs neighboring pro:ects in <ort 9reene %t *arham *ark;*7 ,- and Bridge *ark , as well as nearby 7)uibb, youth played this game and it engaged an entirely new population who we were not able to reach in the past %s pri1es for successful completion of maps we gave out skate decks signed by local skaters, who themselves are advocates for parks and live near these parks that are part of our $rban Youth coalition "his combines our previous work from ,--2 to now, where youth created maps and put them on &asis, 9oogle Maps, and brings it to a whole new interactive level $rban Youth *ark 3esign 9ame combines popular video game platforms like Xbo/ G0- with 9oogle Maps and &asis to produce the base maps needed for park improvement pro:ects +t has proven very popular with teenagers, and you can see blue hyperlinks to youth-made maps and youth collected data combined with agency data, as well as data from the (ensus and elected officials Par$ +esign Game
Choose a park or schoolyard. Measure walls, steps, cracks, drains. Study existing photos. 2. Make maps in SketchUp, Sims, Skate3, pencil. 3. Learn how people use it now. Ask people at the place, search youtu e, and oasis. !. See what people want on scri d, sur"eys # real people at the place. $raw a"atar models o% them. &. Make 2$ # 3$ game pieces o% what people want to to do there. Choose an a"atar to represent each kind o% user' skater, iker, student, parent, teacher, little kid, teenager. (. )ake pix and list the good # the ad a out the place *. +lay design games with people at the real place. ,. +lay Android and Skate3 games o% your place with people. -. +lay games, skate, %oot all, %ree play at the place with people. ./. Send game # place in%o to sponsors who might support it. ... 0et support y sending community groups, and sponsors in%o on kids near y # need %or parks. .2. 1ork with partners to uild your new park impro"ements

10 !pen "oad "oo#top +n ,-.- through our mentorship programs, public events and after school programs on the 'oof we created new garden areas and installed new youth murals 6e have built a greenhouse;cafe and workshop area, new skate

ramps for young kids, and designed and installed new public art 6e continue to maintain these and improve them through events and public programs and free daily afterschool programs through the 7pring and <all &ur core team of ., youth and adults and seniors reached out to an additional .- youth and 2 adults around the planning for these events to make these improvements +n addition to these permanent improvements to the 'ooftop, for both events the team set up organi1ing areas with tables, chairs, and outreach materials with petitions and information on youth pro:ects &ur youth teams gave tours of the rooftop areas, and led presentations for partner groups and the public at (ommunity Board G, the *arks 3epartment, and 6oodward 20 !pen "oad Par$ &ur mentor teams made new environmental improvements in ,-.-, including a new rocky area adventure playground and ropes course, new youth murals, newly planted cherry and apple trees, and new vegetable gardens, we have continued to maintain our improvements created by our mentor teams in previous years "hese improvements that we have worked to maintain include a storage;workshop area that doubles as a cafL, public art, new ramps, and improved garden and green areas (leaning and improvements to tree pits in the playground area and the field have improved the links between hardscape and green areas in the park "his work was accomplished around public events focused on basketball, skateboarding, and youth arts, each of which drew in over 2-- youth &ur core team of ., youth and adults and seniors reached out to an additional .youth and 2 adults around the planning for this event to make these improvements +n addition to these permanent improvements, this team set up temporary play areas on a regular basis to change up the park design and make it more appealing to youth Moveable and temporary seating, which double as eating and hang out areas were cared for an preserved through *rove +t +n addition we held a BMX event that raised funds for basketball backstops, a >ike 6orld Basketball event where youth led park tours, and we held an event where the Maloof and Dans families provided food and clothing to area families in need !ach of these events attracted over 2-- people, appro/imately ?2M youth, to &pen 'oad *ark %t &pen 'oad *ark the crew built upon their work in the previous year where we improved the natural rock area to make it more EplayableF +n ,-.- we added ropes courses that allow climbing and sliding from tree to tree along the ropes, and we added steel bars for balancing and adventure play along the base of the rock area 6e added new basketball backstops, improved the storage areas in the garden, and rebuilt garden beds to accommodate new cherry and apple trees, planted by youth in 7pring and <all ,-.10 Manhattan %ridge '$atepar$

=eft: our stewardship teams at Manhattan Bridge *ark (enter and 'ight: Nand at 6oodward (amp +n ,-.- at Manhattan Bridge 7katepark we continue to support a youth stewardship team taking care of the park, and we were able to reward this team with trips to other skateparks around the city, and in summer ,-.-, with scholarships to 6oodward (amp with #arold #unter <oundation Hphotos above, link belowI http://haro%dhunter.or$/2!1!/!"/0th1year1hhf1sends1skaters1to1woodward/

&pen 'oad and partner improvements at this site include skateable art that doubles as play e)uipment and seating "he youth adult mentor teams have also proposed an e/pansion of the skatepark and created plans for this with the assistance of a volunteer architect &ur core team of ., youth and adults and seniors reached out to an additional .- youth and 2 adults around the planning for these events to make these improvements +n ,-.- we supported and sent mentor teams to several very popular events at Manhattan Bridge 7katepark +n our previous work, youth at the Manhattan Bridge skatepark engaged in an intensive participatory design process around the installation of skate art and a series of public events "hese events were repeated in ,-.-, and once again each of them drew ?---.,--- people, appro/imately half of that number youth &ur mentor teams consider themselves responsible, along with other skate;bike community members, as stewards of Manhattan Bridge skate art, green areas and the surrounding physical environment
!. 2homas 3e##erson Par$ /ast 4arlem

+n ,-.- we again held our immensely popular @ing of 7pring at "homas 8efferson *ark, attended by .,---+ youth and adults +n addition to recycling garbage generated at the event, and protecting trees and planted areas before, during, and after the event, our mentor team members led skate clinics and environmental tours for park goers +mprovements include ongoing stewardship of park landscaping and installation and removal Hfor annual eventsI of moveable skate elements ., youth from our core team, worked with .- additional youth and 2 adults and seniors from the surrounding neighborhood for these events, and we made connections between this #arlem park and our partners in the neighborhood, Bro;7is, Blockstar, and #arlem 'B+ "his is the second year we held an event at this park and again it was very successful with youth locally and citywide 50 '6uibb Par$ 6e opened up a new park through our mentor team efforts this year, 7)uibb, along the *romenade in Brooklyn 7)uibb is part of Brooklyn Bridge *ark, and &pen 'oad is the official steward of the park &ur youth have been opening and closing the park every day after school hours and on weekends, and we have held successful free events, park tours, and free skate clinics and gardening sessions ., youth from our core team, .- additional youth and 2 adults and seniors recruited directly from the surrounding neighborhood for these events and activities 6e have built a local team of additional youth and adults;seniors, with whom weAll continue to work in 7pring ,-.. "his park has a uni)ue view of the skyline and statue of liberty, that attracts skaters and bikers citywide, a group we recruit from for our environmental improvement activities http:;;www news., com;article3etail :spOarticle+dP,0GB-,QpositionP.QnewsRtypePnews 70 2homas Greene Par$ % series of three community events with a focus on youth at "homas 9reene *ark, led by local groups and attended by our mentor teams, have dramatically increased neighborhood awareness and support for this long neglected park ., youth from our core team, .- additional youth and 2 adults and seniors recruited directly from the surrounding neighborhood were involved in these events +n addition, our partners, the non-profit <riends of 3ouglass 9reene *ark H<o39*I and the local businesses Brooklyn Boulders and #omage skate shop did e/tensive outreach together with our mentor teams <o39* is composed of many active neighborhood seniors, and the #omage crew is many active neighborhood youth, meeting our goals of intergenerational integration beautifully %t these events youth led tours and made environmental improvements Hyouth murals and new skate park construction 80 Maria 4ernande( Par$ and %ets& 4ead Par$ Both of these Brooklyn *arks are beautiful old parks that need updating to meet the needs of young people, especially teenagers *arks 3epartment recogni1es this and is willing to engage in a participatory planning process with our mentor teams Maria #ernande1 is well used by bikers, skateboarders, scooters, and bladers, but this use is informal Betsy #ead is also well used but deteriorated and with outdated e)uipment Beautiful

shade trees grace both parks +n a series of events at both parks and agency meetings our mentor teams met with >Y( *arks 3epartment officials, including the Brooklyn (hief of 7taff and Borough head of design ., youth from our core team, .- additional youth and 2 adults and seniors recruited directly from the surrounding neighborhood were involved in communications related to these events "hese meetings and events resulted in youth;adult proposals http://www.scri#d.com/doc/062!16"!/3etsy1*ead1(%ay$round *resentations to agencies, partners, youth groups, and individuals have gathered support for Maria #ernande1 and Betsy #ead improvements, including skate clinics, environmental improvements, and permanent park changes 6e are now in the design approval phase with both of these parks +n addition to the sites described here, since youth and adult mentors working with us travel so much from site to site, &pen 'oad has again been providing additional targeted support through our programs, to the network +n ,-.- we launched the first citywide skatepark and #ikepark map with public transportation to each park shown 6e envision our mentor based camps, our citywide maps, and our team of partners helping us to reach our goal: Youth arts, skateboarding, BMX, music, writing, and environmental studies will be integrated with professional design, stewardship, and physical improvements in public parks to create the highest )uality camp + afterschool mentorship programs, custom tailored to youth, park, neighborhood and sponsor needs and interests