Hudson River Education: A Voice of Unity

DESCRIPTION: This project will use the Hudson River as a means to amplify the diversity of voices of the Rockland community and increase the connectivity of residents throughout the county through collecting and sharing people’s unique experiences with the Hudson and the natural world. These stories will be captured by the youth of these communities through leveraging the existing ‘Next Generation of Hudson River Educators’ program. Currently, this summer program focuses on engaging underrepresented students in STEM primarily from marginalized communities in Rockland County in Hudson River estuary science and education that they then share with their friends, families, and neighbors. These targeted summer internship opportunities provide pathways for local students into both science and science communication. While it is empowering for the students to share their new estuary knowledge with their communities, it is also enlightening for the students to learn from residents of their communities through informal interviews to gain diverse and multi-generational perspectives and cultural relationships that people have with the Hudson. Through the summer program students will gather perspectives throughout the county, placing a special focus on being inclusive as we pass the microphone to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color voices from historically under-served and under-resourced communities in Rockland County (e.g. Haverstraw, Spring Valley, and Nyack). These short dialogues will be filmed by the students, and then integrated into ‘mini documentaries’ that can be showcased across the county at public community centers, including the Hudson River Field Station our community hub. Students will annotate the films with insights on Hudson River science. The ultimate goal is to drive inclusion and understanding of the incredible diversity that exists in Rockland County through varying perspectives of a shared connection: the Hudson River.