Roots of Success’s Executive Director, Raquel Pinderhughes, was part of a panel focused on “Environmental Literacy for All” moderated by Craig Strang, Associate Director of the Lawrence Hall of Science. Other panelists included: Carl Anthony (Founder of Urban Habitat), Jose Flores (Brawley Union High School District teacher), Juanita Chan (District Science Lead, Rialto Unified School District), and Paloma Pavel (Breakthrough Communities). As you can see from the photo, this was a very well attended session. Here is a quote from Raquel’s presentation on Roots of Success:
“We work with youth and adults who have been failed by the education system. Half of our students take our classes while incarcerated in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities. Our teachers provide them with information that is directly relevant to their lives and their lived experiences. For this reason, we front-and-center the experiences of low-income communities, communities of color, frontline, and fenceline communities. We get students excited about learning and about being in the classroom. We strengthen their academic skills, help people acquire new knowledge and skills, provide them with opportunities to apply what they’re learning in the classroom to real-world situations and challenges and in a range of settings. In this way, in addition to preparing people for good jobs and career pathways, we inspire them to become activists who work to improve conditions in their communities. Teachers consistently connect education to employment and prepare students for over 125 different environmental careers. We feel privileged and honored to be doing this work.”