The mission of the After School Conservation Club (ASCC) is to bring environmental education to urban kids, and to foster their sense of being stewards of the environment. The club is a collaborative effort of the United Neighborhood Houses (UNH), TASC, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Clubs at after-school programs also receive support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the New York City Environmental Fund of the Hudson River Foundation.
During the after-school hours, kids attend club activities twice a week for ten weeks. One session a week is dedicated to imparting key environmental concepts, as kids learn about natural resources, animal and plant habitats and the impact humans have on ecology. The second session of the week focuses on a stewardship project, where kids get involved in efforts to preserve and improve local natural environments. Kids take field trips to area wetlands, parks, gardens, forests and nature preserves. Staff members from the DEC visit the after-school programs to provide technical assistance and to assist with hands-on activities.
In a chapter co-authored with Sylvia M. James, a program officer with the National Science Foundation’s Informal Science Education Program, TASC President Lucy N. Friedman describes why science is a perfect fit with after-school programs.
