CATCHING UP
$25,000 Award Supports Environmental Justice in Under-resourced Communities
The John T. and Jane A. Widerhold Foundation awarded $25,000 to CatRock to support the environmental education and advocacy component of the CatRock Youth Leadership Academy. The foundation awards grants to quality educational programming designed to help preserve and protect the environment through engagement with children and adults.
The grant recognizes CatRock’s role in promoting environmental justice in the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood of the Bronx. “At the John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation, we are pleased to support the CatRock Youth Leadership Academy. Inspired by young people who are eager to understand and protect our environment, we see their involvement as a pivotal step toward preserving our collective future,” notes Chairman Leslie Harris.
This generous award from the John T. and Jane A. Widerhold Foundation will enable CatRock to strengthen and build out the environmental education and advocacy component of the CatRock Youth Leadership Academy. The academy promotes environmental justice and activism among youth who are underrepresented in environmental advocacy.
“We are extremely grateful to have to support of the John T. and Jane A. Widerhold Foundation,” explains Craig Meisner, CatRock Ventures co-founder and executive director. “This new partnership will allow us to continue investing in the next generational of environmental leaders from under-resourced communities.”
Since CatRock was founded in 2018, the leadership team has piloted initiatives building upon the nonprofit’s approach to youth development. Each initiative aims to promote growth of students in multiple contexts: outdoor adventure, leadership development, and environmental education. This award will offset the cost environmental education component which students experiences through three phases: Base Camp, Ascent, Summit.
Through Base Camp the program fosters positive emotional connections to the environment through outdoor adventure activities. During the Ascent, students participant in interactive workshops design to strengthen the connection with the environment that organically develops during outdoor-based activities. And Summit provides opportunities for capstone projects where students continue learning about their local environment and how to become civically engaged through community advocacy around local environmental issues.
The success of the CatRock Youth Leadership Academy can be summed up through the personal experience of alumnus Richard O: “Because of CatRock I am more spontaneous to meet people when I travel and do more things. Because of CatRock I know a lot more about the environment and I care a lot more about the environment. Because of CatRock I just feel like a better person.”