Earth Conservation Corps: The Stewards of Anacostia River
Posted by Charity Watcher on Tuesday, July 14, 2015
The Earth Conservation Corps (ECC), a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental service and youth development, has taken on the challenge of the restoration of the Anacostia River by engaging at-risk youth in the community. The at-risk youth are usually unemployed young people who are provided with the appropriate workforce training, media arts education, and environmental education, thus, providing them with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to enter the workforce.
All Corps members are also trained to become environmental stewards of the Anacostia River through the combination of advocacy, action and service in the community. As the Corps call it, the forgotten youth become the champions of the forgotten river and, in so doing, are remembered for their potentials.
Established in 1989, ECC has become the model for many similar non-profit organizations in the United States and in many foreign countries. Its innovative approach of providing the youth and adults with the knowledge and skills to become environmental educators and leaders in their communities has resulted in notable achievements.
For example, ECC members have participated in several projects including the re-introduction of bald eagles to the Anacostia River Watershed; the renovation of industrial buildings to become Earth Conservation Centers; and the rescue of the Kingman and Heritage Islands from harmful for-profit development, among others. The members have also been instrumental in the ongoing dramatic improvements in Washington D.C.’s environmental restoration projects, thus, making the city a more liveable place
ECC also has partnerships with many environmental organizations in the private and public sectors. These partnerships include with the American Eagle Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service as well as public schools in Washington D.C.
The non-profit organization takes pride in its mission of empowering the endangered youth and of restoring the glory of the Anacostia River – truly, a double-pronged thrust that applies the strengths of the youth in environmental preservation.
All Corps members are also trained to become environmental stewards of the Anacostia River through the combination of advocacy, action and service in the community. As the Corps call it, the forgotten youth become the champions of the forgotten river and, in so doing, are remembered for their potentials.
Established in 1989, ECC has become the model for many similar non-profit organizations in the United States and in many foreign countries. Its innovative approach of providing the youth and adults with the knowledge and skills to become environmental educators and leaders in their communities has resulted in notable achievements.
For example, ECC members have participated in several projects including the re-introduction of bald eagles to the Anacostia River Watershed; the renovation of industrial buildings to become Earth Conservation Centers; and the rescue of the Kingman and Heritage Islands from harmful for-profit development, among others. The members have also been instrumental in the ongoing dramatic improvements in Washington D.C.’s environmental restoration projects, thus, making the city a more liveable place
ECC also has partnerships with many environmental organizations in the private and public sectors. These partnerships include with the American Eagle Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service as well as public schools in Washington D.C.
The non-profit organization takes pride in its mission of empowering the endangered youth and of restoring the glory of the Anacostia River – truly, a double-pronged thrust that applies the strengths of the youth in environmental preservation.
