July 17, 2023

Latino Conservation Week 2023

Semana Latina de Conservatión (July 15-21, 2023)

EVENTS:

Saturday, July 15th - Sunday, July 23rd: Free Admission to Tyler Arboretum and Special Education Stations at Pollinator Preserve and Lucille's Garden, using the code LCW2023 at the Visitor Center from July 15 to July 23, 2023! (Media, PA)

  • As part of your free admission, you can also enjoy two special education stations, one on July 21st and one on July 23rd:

Education Station in the Pollinator Preserve (July 21; 10 AM – 1 PM) 

  • Stop by our Education Station in the Pollinator Preserve, where we have something for everyone - whether you are a gardener, insect lover, or just like to get close to nature. We love sharing the relationships between plants, insects, and birds with you and even have something for the youngest visitors. No registration is necessary, and it’s free with admission. So just stop by anytime from 10 am to 1 pm. See you there!

Education Station: Tasting Station in Lucille's Garden (July 23; 10 AM – 1 PM) 

  • Stop by our Education Station: Tasting Station in Lucille's Garden to sample the seasonal bounty from our edible garden! No registration is necessary and it's free with admission. Just stop by any time during the hours of 10 am to 1 pm. See you there!

 

Sunday, July 23rd: Bluebird Nesting Box Tour - Tyler Arboretum - Registration Required 

 

Sunday, July 23rd: Bilingual Storybook Walk/Hike (put on by DCNR)

  • Celebrate Latino Conservation week with a storybook trail that follows fisherman Finn and his dog, Skip, as they explore the forest, human impacts, and conservation. Enjoy the book and a hike! Book "Forests!" written by Brendan Kearney. Free, no registration required. (Pine Grove Furnace State Park from 7am-8pm)

 

Sunday, July 23rd: Lehigh Valley Puerto Rico Day Parade and Festival

  • PennFuture’s very own Maria Ocasio and Emily Gale will be tabling! 
  • About: We are a group of residents of the Lehigh Valley, spreading the love of the boricua's roots and culture. This group is calling on all Puerto Ricans and people of the Lehigh Valley who are interested in our culture to join and work as a family. We want our youth and children to know their roots and the enriching history that Puerto Rico has. The knowledge of our origins are key in our lives, identity and especially are the soul of our culture.

 

ORGANIZATIONS TO HIGHLIGHT:

 

Latino Hispanic American Community Center: (Harrisburg) To empower, promote, and advocate for the Latinx Hispanic American community of the Greater Harrisburg Area by offering inclusive services that will be strength-based, collaboration oriented, and solution focused in creating educational, social & economic growth and awareness of the contributions made by all faces of the community.

 

Latino Connection: (Harrisburg) The national leader in community education and health outreach, forging initiatives that are first of their kind and span across the nation with corporate and nonprofit partnerships focused on a unified mission – educating, empowering and uplifting the Latino community.

 

Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley: (Bethlehem) Our mission is to improve the quality of lives of families (Hispanic and non-Hispanic) by empowering them to become more self-sufficient, while promoting an intercultural understanding in the Lehigh Valley.

 

Casa San José: (Pittsburgh) The Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden opened a resource center for Latino immigrants, Casa San José (House of St. Joseph), in 2013. It serves as a base of support for English language learners, helping them to access services – especially, services for children, youth, and families in order to better acclimate to their new home in the Pittsburgh area and to know the experience of welcome here. Their vision is to create a real community center for Latinos and to deliver the services that are needed as Pittsburgh attracts more and more Latinos to southwestern Pennsylvania.

Jóvenes con Propósito program: offers youth a democratic space to develop skills to find their own voices and leadership (meets once a week)

Puentes Hacia el Futuro: specifically for youth ages 6-14, making sure that our youth are celebrating their culture is important to the preservation

 

Latino Community Center: (Allegheny County) Their mission is to empower, advocate with, and celebrate the Latinx Community in Allegheny County. 

 

Juntos: (Philadelphia) Juntos is a community-led, Latinx immigrant organization in South Philadelphia fighting for our human rights as workers, parents, youth, and immigrants. 

 

Multicultural Community Resource Center: (Erie) MCRC provides a variety of educational, social service, child development, housing, and employment programs to the Latino, Refugee, Immigrant, and New American populations in Erie in a client-first and focused manner. Additionally, MCRC advocates for the needs of our clients by supporting increased community awareness and education about our new neighbors.

 

Green Latinos: (nationwide) GreenLatinos is an active comunidad of Latino/a/x leaders, emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture, united to demand equity and dismantle racism, resourced to win our environmental, conservation, and climate justice battles, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.

 

Latinos Outdoors: (nationwide) Latino Outdoors is a community first and an organization second. We are a community that strives for an outdoors that is safe and welcoming for all people, regardless of race, creed, nationality, language, gender, sexual orientation, or ability. We are a community that celebrates diverse forms of outdoor engagement. We are a community that believes meaningful outdoor experiences make us stronger, healthier, and happier. Latino Outdoors provides for a focused conversation on the Latinx experience without being limited to it. Our community's voices are varied while remaining united in celebrating diversity and declaring it a core tenet of Latino Outdoors.

 

Hispanic Access Foundation: (DC-based) Whether we are helping Latinos improve their financial literacy, explore new workforce opportunities, become environmental stewards or advocate for better health, trust and a commitment to equity is at the core of everything we do. Our initiatives, programs and grassroots outreach efforts are aimed at empowering and inspiring individuals to improve themselves and their families and, in turn, strengthen their communities and their country. 

There is a Philly chapter!

 

HECHO: Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors: (National Wildlife Federation partner!) Formed in 2013, Hispanics Enjoying Camping Hunting and the Outdoors (HECHO) was created to help fulfill our duty to conserve and protect our public lands for future generations. We provide a platform for Hispanics/Latinos to contribute knowledge and perspectives about public land conservation. From southwestern deserts to northern forestland, Hispanics/Latinx throughout America have a strong connection to our nation's diverse landscapes. We urge our elected and appointed leaders to safeguard our precious public lands, so that our children can enjoy fishing, hiking, hunting, camping, and other outdoor activities for generations to come.