The Puerto Rico Resilience Project (PRRP) is an effective action plan bringing together grassroots leaders, environmental organizations, academic institutions, and government agencies to advance cultural and ecological resilience and a new economy of outdoors recreation through a nationwide, citizen-driven movement of Promotores Verdes.
Advancing a culture of recreation, conservation, and public health anchored in nature experiences and a sustainable outdoors economy.
This unique intergenerational program integrates 'CREA Results’ Community Health Promoters work and AFC+A’s arts- and culture-infused environmental educational programming. Promotores Verdes grows employable champions of the health benefits of connecting to nature, forging career pathways in outdoor recreation, conservation, and stewardship of our natural resources.
The program educates on the interdependence of human and environmental health and our need to protect the natural resources that safeguard the health of our families and communities.
The curriculum is mediated through outdoors experiences and integrates Leave No Trace principles, healthy lifestyle choices, active living, and fitness Get Outdoors campaigns, restoration activities, careers pipeline education, shared meals, and community circles. As in the Promotores Verdes youth program, U-CAN Green Ambassadors, community circles encourage the development of personal and community resilience.
Mobilization of Promotores Verdes participants as volunteers 3 for the brigades and the envisioning of long-term restoration efforts (education is part of these brigades as well as the actual cleaning/planting work).
United Cultures for Arts + Nature is the Promotores Verdes youth program building a more inclusive generation of conservation stewards through mentorship, cultural expression, and a careers pipeline.
Launched in 2017, the summer camp of Promotores Verdes, United Cultures for Arts + Nature Green Ambassadors powers the next generation of diverse leaders by igniting a deep-rooted and lasting passion for conservation anchored in science, arts, and culture.
The one week long outdoors immersion camp offers a curriculum built to empower youth to take action in their communities to promote healthy lifestyles, sustainable practices, environmental stewardship, and skills for outdoors recreation interpretation and leadership. U-CAN provides these young ambassadors with support through mentorship and fosters self-expression and growth.
This environment enables students to enhance emotional intelligence, navigate adversity, build personal resilience, and strength in themselves that is necessary to protect our resilient natural world and its limited resources.
For the second year of AFC+A’s United Cultures for Arts and Nature (U-CAN) Woodsy Owl Conservation Corps (WOCC) Youth Program, participants will do a ‘Community Restoration Expedition’ where these young environmental protectors and artists will travel to Puerto Rico (half of the students chosen will come from the island itself) and contribute to the efforts by performing a community project utilizing the skills they have learned through their participation in the program which is centered around principles of forestry, conservation, food, health, sustainability, community, and culture.
