Inspiring Students to be Informed, Active and Community-Minded Citizens

Chappaqua, NY __ Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF) is pleased to announce its partnership with Mt. Sinai Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit and CUNY School of Law Center for Urban Environmental Reform for a teacher training course entitled: “Citizen Science and Social Justice in Your Community” to take place on July 12-14 in Manhattan and Long Island City.

This collaborative course will lead teachers through three days of inquiry, first defining sustainability in education before moving into environmental health topics, environmental justice and citizen engagement. Teachers will explore how citizen science activities can enhance learning and how students can use knowledge of environmental law and government structures to advocate for social justice. “The end goal is to inform and empower students on environmental health issues and to equip them with skills to advocate for positive change,” explains CELF’s Executive Director, Katie Ginsberg.

In conjunction with Alan Cass and Aimee Arandia Østensen of CELF, the course will be taught by: Dr. Maida Galvez, an Associate Professor in the Department of Preventative Medicine and Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai (ISMMS), Dr. Alison Sanders, a postdoctoral fellow in the same department and Rachel Manning, Project Coordinator for the Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COEC) at Mt. Sinai’s Transdisciplinary Center on Early Environmental Exposures. Rebecca Bratspies, a Professor of Law at CUNY School of Law and founding director of the CUNY Center for Urban Environmental Reform, will also be teaching.

CELF is a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Board of Mt. Sinai’s COEC and was founded on the principle that education for sustainability is essential for today’s K-12 students. This teaching methodology develops critical thinking skills necessary to understand complex, interconnected issues. Since 2003, CELF has worked with public and independent schools from across the country, delivering programs that respond to the wide range of specific educational needs of urban, suburban and rural schools.

Katie Ginsberg, CELF’s Executive Director, is passionate about preparing students for society’s current challenges, “As educators, we have an obligation prepare students today for the social, economic and environmental challenges that lie ahead. We are thrilled to be collaborating with industry-leading experts at Mt. Sinai and CUNY to advance this effort.”

Awarded with membership in the Clinton Global Initiative in 2012, CELF’s work with New York City Public Schools has been recognized as a CGI Commitment to Action project.

Teachers who attend the “Citizen Science and Social Justice in Your Community” course will be eligible for in-service credits, or graduate credits from the Manhattanville College School of Education. Regular tuition is $395. NYC DOE teacher are eligible for p-credits at a reduced rate and teacher teams are also eligible for a reduced rate. For more information about CELF and this professional development course, go to www.celfeducation.org.

About The Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF): Founded in 2003 and based in Chappaqua, NY, CELF was created to promote awareness of the importance of sustainability education and to help schools and school districts make sustainability an ongoing part of education. To achieve this, CELF provides consulting services for schools and school districts, training for teachers and administrators and sustainability education programs for students. A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, CELF works with all kinds of schools—urban, suburban and rural, public and private. For more information go to: www.celfeducation.org.