For Educators

If you are a teacher or youth program coordinator interested in a field trip, please fill out the Program Request Form (PDF) and fax or email it back to us. See below for more information.

LEJ's EcoCenter hosts teacher trainings in partnership with the Exploratorium, SFUSD Science, Literacy, and Arts Integration (SLANT) initative, Teachers 4 Social Justice, BMagic youth and families collaborative in Bayview, and Planet Drum Foundation to host a variety of trainings. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

The second edition of LEJ'S K-12 environmental justice curriculum, "CALLING NATURE HOME," has been published. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Educational Programs for School and Youth Groups

LEJ offers free urban environmental education programs to more than 2,500 K-12 youth, with an emphasis on middle school- and high school-aged students. Programs are designed to be interdisciplinary and foster youth empowment. Teachers receive additional support in the form of technical workshops, service learning curricula, and guest presenters.

Students, teachers and community volunteers alike report that they complete our programs with a deeper understanding of the complex issues facing urban communities, and with a greater sense that they can be actively involved in improving the quality of life and environment of our city; some of the students participating in our projects have later become LEJ Youth Interns. In addition, we strongly promote the field of "the environment" as a viable career option for our students as a means to aid in diversifying the field, while providing new job opportunities for communities of color and low-income populations.

Classroom/service learning programs are available in wetlands restoration, native plant propagation, healthy foods, green building, and/or environmental health and justice.

All LEJ programs are free to public school and youth groups and may include the following elements:

• A project planning meeting with teachers and students
• In-class lesson(s) to contextualize the issue in focus
• Field research/investigations
• An action project
• Evaluation

LEJ's hands-on learning programs at Heron's Head Park and Candlestick Pt. State Recreation Area include:

• Introduction to salt marsh habitats
• Discovering biodiversity
• Ecological stewardship
• Bird identification
• Native plant identification
• Native plants propagation

Students explore challenging social and environmental issues while they learn they can do something to improve our world right now. Projects may last anywhere from a day to a year.

To schedule an educational program, please complete this Program Request Form (PDF) and fax or email it back to us. For more information about the Heron's Head Park education program, contact HHP Ecologist Raynelle Rino . For more information about the Candlestick native plant nursery and park education program, contact Carlos Gonzalez.