chawla

CEDaR's Growing Up Boulder program spins off as a nonprofit

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 21:25:31 +0000

CEDaR's Growing Up Boulder program spins off as a nonprofit Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/11/2021 - 14:25

When  Growing Up Boulder (GUB) began in 2009, its goal was to empower young people to influence the local issues which affected their lives. For the past 12 years the program was a part of CU Boulder's  Community Engagement, Design and Research  (CEDaR) Center. Now one of the most successful child-friendly city initiatives in the world, it's being spun off as an independent nonprofit under the fiscal sponsorship of the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center.

“Growing Up Boulder will continue its deep partnership with CU Boulder as it evolves during its next phase," said  Mara Mintzer, GUB's director. "It  grew from a strong foundation in academia, and the  students and faculty have been key to its success."

The relationship between CEDaR and GUB is a model for how the university can develop, nurture and then spin off nonprofit activities, says Brian Muller, associate professor and CEDaR director.

“Growing Up Boulder began as a service-based research project and evolved into a program that is now more deeply embedded in the community than the university," Muller says. “It will continue as a CEDaR affiliate with more flexibility to raise money and cultivate new relationships to expand its programs. Spinning it off strengthens GUB and benefits all its partners."

Over the years GUB grew to become one of the most successful child-friendly city initiatives in the world. Some of GUB's largest successes include Mintzer's  2018 TED Talk “How Kids Can Help Design Cities," viewed 2.3 million times and translated into 21 languages;  GUB’s “child-friendly city map project,” which brought together more than 30 organizations and 700 young people to create the nation’s first printed, bilingual map designed by kids for kids; and the award-winning book, "Placemaking With Children and Youth: Participatory Practices for Planning Sustainable Communities," co-authored by GUB founders and faculty. 

University roots
In December 2008 Growing Up Boulder was conceived by David Driskell, director of community planning and sustainability for the city of Boulder, and Willem van Vliet, CU Boulder professor (emeritus) and CEDaR fellow, as an effort to make Boulder one of the nation’s first child-friendly cities, recognizing the rights and interests of children in local policy, law, programs and budgets as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Louise Chawla, CU Boulder professor (emerita) and CEDaR fellow, was also formative in GUB’s development.

GUB formally launched in the spring of 2009 through an MOU between CU Boulder, the city of Boulder and the Boulder Valley School District, working in partnership with local nonprofits, businesses, and many participating children and youth.  Its overall goal was to bring about a culture change so that youth participation in local affairs would no longer be extraordinary, but mainstream and routine. GUB created programming that helped local youth provide critical input on matters of city planning, education, sustainability, social justice and human rights. It supported a new generation of civic leaders, who tangibly improve their communities by sharing recommendations for city and community design and decision-making.

 Additional Growing Up Boulder highlights

Contributed to key city planning guidelines and policies, including seven master plans for open space and mountain parks, resilient cities, and transportation, and more.
Engaged more than 6,000 Boulder area kids on more than 100 city and community projects. Many program participants work with GUB for three months or more.
Upheld an internal standard to ensure that at least 50 percent of participating program children and youth are from historically marginalized groups.
Worked with more than 60 local and county partners to support hundreds of ideation sessions, after-school enrichments, and community engagement events.
Widely cited academic book chapters and journal articles.
Keynote addresses at national and international conferences.
Local, national, and international media coverage.
Training, lectures, and consulting sessions for many global partners, ranging from government staff and elected officials, young people, educators and academics.

GUB has been a part of CEDaR and housed in the Program for Environmental Design for about 12 years, working in the context of an overall CEDaR philosophy that focuses on partnerships with city governments and community organizations; participatory action research;  interdisciplinary collaboration across campus; integrated research by undergraduates, graduate students and faculty; and engagement with low-income and minority populations. 

Joint CEDaR and GUB initiatives include the Hill Redevelopment Project, a three-year effort to build engagement among the varied voices in development policy on the Hill. During this project, GUB worked with a Flatirons Elementary  fourth-grade class to develop ideas to make the 11th Street Corridor a fun and safer place for people of all ages. In another joint CEDaR effort to develop innovative urban design for manufactured housing communities, GUB engaged with the Ponderosa Mobile Home Park community to encourage brainstorming with children and parents around the design of green spaces, playgrounds and safety, as well as adding new amenities to the park.

In addition, CEDaR provided the GUB partnership with services including office space and fiscal, computer, human resources and communications support; staff oversight; and management of joint projects and MOUs.

GUB's evolution into a new phase will be celebrated at a fundraiser on May 4.

For the past 12 years Growing Up Boulder was a part of CU Boulder's  Community Engagement, Design and Research (CEDaR) Center. Now one of the most successful child-friendly city initiatives in the world, GUB is transitioning to an independent nonprofit, a model for how the university can develop, nurture and then spin off nonprofit activities.

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Contest opens for designing new Colorado pollinator license plate

Anonymous — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 15:54:18 +0000

Contest opens for designing new Colorado pollinator license plate Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/04/2021 - 08:54

Pollinator-themed designs are now being accepted for a new Colorado license plate honoring bees. Pollinators are necessary for many crops and sustain many of the wildflowers and flowering trees and shrubs on Colorado’s wildlands, says Louise Chawla, CEDaR fellow and professor emerita in the Program in Environmental Design. Chawla serves on the leadership committee of People and Pollinators Action Network, a statewide group that works for healthy ecosystems and biodiverse habitat for pollinators.

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Louise Chawla gives opening speech for Strasbourg's Festival of Early Infancy

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 23:15:27 +0000

Louise Chawla gives opening speech for Strasbourg's Festival of Early Infancy Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/24/2021 - 16:15

In February 2021, Louise Chawla, CEDaR fellow and professor emerita in the Program in Environmental Design, was invited to give an opening speech for a weeklong Festival of Early Infancy (birth to 6 year olds) in the city of Strasbourg, France on the topic of “Connecting Children with Nature to Foster Wellbeing and a Caring Relationship with the Natural World.” During the hour-long discussion that followed, the city’s deputy mayor was interested in learning about Growing Up Boulder, a partnership between CEDaR, Boulder’s city government, and the Boulder Valley School District to engage children and youth in city planning and design. Growing Up Boulder projects include young children in elementary schools and preschools. The festival was organized by the Academy of Early Infancy and the Terra Symbiosis Foundation in Strasbourg, with the aim of inspiring the greening of child care, preschool and elementary school grounds and encouraging greater use of the city’s parks by early childhood institutions and families with young children.

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New Colorado pollinator license plate needs signatures

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 15:39:41 +0000

New Colorado pollinator license plate needs signatures Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/08/2021 - 08:39

Do you love bees and want to help them? You can make a difference by showing your support for a new Colorado pollinator license plate.

This month the state legislature is considering a new special license plate that will support conservation efforts throughout the state to protect pollinators. The initiative will raise funding for work with state agencies, municipal governments and private landowners to protect and increase pollinator-friendly gardens, parks, open space, and highway margins across the state.

One of the community engagements of Louise Chawla, a CEDaR fellow, is serving on the leadership committee of People and Pollinators Action Network, a statewide group that works for healthy ecosystems and biodiverse habitat for pollinators and the web of life of which they are an essential part.

"Not only are pollinators necessary for many of the crops that feed people, but they also sustain many of the wildflowers and flowering trees and shrubs on Colorado’s wildlands," she says.

But before the legislature can vote, the state needs to know that the public supports this new license plate, which means collecting 3,000 signatures from Colorado car owners. Please sign today–it only takes about one minute–and share with your friends and networks. You are not committing to get the plate when it is created—just endorsing the idea.

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Anonymous — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 16:37:55 +0000

- Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 01/07/2021 - 09:37

Louise Chawla, environmental psychologist and CEDaR fellow, recently completed a review that brings two bodies of research together: one on connecting children and adolescents with nature, and the second on supporting healthy coping when they realize they are part of a planet in peril. The review shows that when children and adolescents feel connected to nature, they are more likely to report good health and a sense of well-being, more likely to get high scores for creative thinking, and more inclined to show cooperative, helping behaviors. On the flip side, city families stuck indoors during COVID-19 reported mounting stress and deteriorating behavior in their children.

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CEDaR Fellow, Louise Chawla: Children heavily influenced by time in nature, social and emotional support

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 15:15:47 +0000

CEDaR Fellow, Louise Chawla: Children heavily influenced by time in nature, social and emotional support Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/09/2020 - 09:15

Whether they’re dealing with smoke from wildfires, living through severe storms, or staying inside because of COVID-19, children are being forced to see the world differently in 2020. How they are learning and what they are learning about the world is quickly changing as many environmental and health threats occur simultaneously. Chawla was recently asked to write a comprehensive literature review for the British Ecological Society journal People and Nature, about how children connect with nature these days. CU Boulder Today caught up with Chawla to discuss her findings in the context of a year with many environmental challenges.

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Childhood connection to nature has many benefits but is not universally positive, finds review

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 13:49:53 +0000

Childhood connection to nature has many benefits but is not universally positive, finds review Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/10/2020 - 07:49

A literature review by Louise Chawla, professor emerita at the University of Colorado Boulder and CEDaR fellow, finds children are happier and more likely to protect the natural world when they have a greater connection to it, but this connection is complex and can also generate negative emotions linked to issues like climate change.

The review, published in the British Ecological Society Journal People and Nature, is the first to focus on nature connection in children and adolescents. In the article Chawla comprehensively reviews the full scope of literature on the topic, covering peer-reviewed articles, books and studies by environmental organizations. Chawla also received a 2020 SHIFT (Shaping How We Invest for Tomorrow) Award for Research for her investigations of connections between access to nature, children’s health and wellbeing, and childhood sources of lifelong care for the natural world.

The review finds that connecting with nature supports multiple areas of young people’s wellbeing. “There is strong evidence that children are happier, healthier, function better, know more about the environment, and are more likely to take action to protect the natural world when they spend time in nature,” Chawla said.

Several studies found that children’s connection with nature increased with time spent in natural environments. Time spent in this way was also a predictor for active care for nature in adulthood. These findings support strategies and policies that ensure that young people have access to wild areas, parks, gardens, green neighborhoods and naturalized grounds at schools.

However, a connection with nature is not universally positive.

“My review shows that connecting with nature is a complex experience that can generate troubling emotions as well as happiness,” Chawla said. “We need to keep in mind that children are inheriting an unravelling biosphere, and many of them know it. Research shows that when adolescents react with despair, they are unlikely to take action to address challenges.”

The review finds that there is overlap in the strategies used to increase children’s feelings of connection with nature and supporting them with difficult dimensions of this connection.

These strategies include helping young people learn what they can do to protect the natural world, as individuals and working collectively with others, and sharing examples of people who care for nature. Research covered in the review finds that young people are more likely to believe a better world is possible when friends, family and teachers listen sympathetically to their fears and give them a safe space to share their emotions.

One of the most surprising findings from the review was the complete disconnect between researchers studying the benefits of childhood connection to nature and those studying responses to environmental threats.

“People who study children’s connection with nature and those who study their coping with environmental risk and loss have been pursuing separate directions without referencing or engaging with each other,” Chawla said. “I am arguing that researchers on both sides need to pay attention to each other’s work and learn from each other."

A literature review by Louise Chawla, professor emerita at the University of Colorado Boulder and CEDaR fellow, finds that children are happier and more likely to protect the natural world when they have a greater connection to it, but this connection is complex and can also generate negative emotions linked to issues like climate change. The review was published in the British Ecological Society Journal People and Nature.

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Louise Chawla, CEDaR fellow, receives SHIFT award

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 16:29:13 +0000

Louise Chawla, CEDaR fellow, receives SHIFT award Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/07/2020 - 10:29

Louise Chawla, professor emerita in the Program in Environmental Design and CEDaR fellow, received a 2020 SHIFT (Shaping How We Invest for Tomorrow) Award for Research for her investigations of connections between access to nature, children’s health and wellbeing, and childhood sources of lifelong care for the natural world. Established in 2014 and based in the nonprofit organization, the Center for Jackson Hole, SHIFT highlights connections between public health and public lands, in urban as well as rural areas, and makes the case for community greening and the protection of natural lands as a component of comprehensive health care, with attention to environmental justice and social equity. The mission of SHIFT is to bring together researchers, advocates for outdoor recreation and land conservation, and members of the health care industry to identify how time spent outdoors in nature benefits the health and wellbeing of all people. As an award recipient, Chawla’s work will be featured at the annual SHIFT Festival in October, this year to be held virtually, which convenes hundreds of participants from across the nation.

Read more about Louise Chawla's research, recently published in the British Ecological Society Journal People and Nature.

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CEDaR helps plan popular Pollinator Summit

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 19:00:30 +0000

CEDaR helps plan popular Pollinator Summit Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/15/2019 - 12:00

About 175 people attended the fourth annual Colorado Pollinator Summit, “Protecting Colorado’s Biodiversity," which was planned by CU Boulder's Community Engagement, Design and Research Center (CEDaR) in partnership with other organizations. The Nov. 1 event, which featured plenary talks and panels on urban neighborhoods, landscaping for biodiversity and holistic farming in Colorado, was held at the Sustainability, Energy & Environment Center (SEEC) on the CU Boulder east campus.

"There is great enthusiasm for protecting bees and restoring habitat for them," said Louise Chawla, a CEDaR fellow and professor emerita, who has helped plan the summit for the past three years.

In addition to domesticated honeybees, Colorado has 500 species of wild bees, who in many cases pollinate crops and wild plants more efficiently than honeybees, she said. Other species that help pollinate the state's flowering plants and trees include beetles, flies and to a lesser extent, hummingbirds, butterflies and a species of bat.

The summit was opened by Kate Greenberg, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture, who affirmed the commitment of Gov. Polis and his administration to help farmers transition to agricultural methods that protect wildlife habitat and wildlife species, such as pollinators.

Brendon Rockey, who raises specialty potatoes and quinoa on 500 irrigated acres in Colorado's San Luis Valley, spoke about how companion planting of wildflowers in his potato fields attracts beneficial pollinators and birds. A panel of landscape designers and prairie restoration experts discussed the native Colorado landscapes they are installing, in some cases at the scale of corporate and residential developments. Another panel featured work from CU Boulder, including the parking lot pollinator gardens that Danielle Bilot, an instructor in the university’s Program in Environmental Design, is creating with her students. Megan Jones, a Colorado State University (CSU) doctoral student, shared her research which explores why people install wildscaping gardens in their yards and why they become “ambassadors” who spread this practice among their neighbors.

"Biodiversity landscaping is important to me," Chawla said. "It is critical for sharing the living world with children, who are the focus of my practice and research."

The event was planned by CEDaR, along with the nonprofit, the People and Pollinators Action Network, the Butterfly Pavilion, Denver Botanic Gardens, the City of Boulder, CSU Extension, and the Audubon Society.

About 175 people attended the fourth annual Colorado Pollinator Summit, “Protecting Colorado’s Biodiversity," which was planned by the Community Engagement, Design and Research center and others. The Nov. 1 event featured plenary talks and panels on urban neighborhoods, landscaping for biodiversity and holistic farming in Colorado.

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Mara Mintzer and Louise Chawla win 2019 EDRA Achievement Award

Anonymous — Fri, 24 May 2019 20:24:35 +0000

Mara Mintzer and Louise Chawla win 2019 EDRA Achievement Award Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/24/2019 - 14:24

Louise Chawla, CEDaR fellow and professor emerita, Mara Mintzer, Growing Up Boulder program director, and Victoria Derr, authors of "Placemaking with Children and Youth: Participatory Practices for Planning Sustainable Communities," received the 2019 Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) Achievement Award for their publication at EDRA’s 50th anniversary conference. The book has received endorsements from many of the most respected child/youth environmental researchers, practitioners and advocates.

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