{"id":472,"date":"2019-10-29T16:07:24","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T16:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.neoninspire.com\/concretesafaris\/?page_id=472"},"modified":"2020-02-04T20:19:57","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T20:19:57","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.neoninspire.com\/concretesafaris\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\tAbout Us\n\t<\/h1>\n\t

Mission<\/strong><\/p>\n

To prepare youth in East Harlem and beyond to lead healthy lives and shape their environment through outdoor education, play, exploration, and community engagement.<\/p>\n\t

Vision<\/strong><\/p>\n

Youth Transforming The World Starting In Their Own Backyards<\/p>\n\t

Why Concrete Safaris?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Young people do not play outdoors as often as they once did. Three barriers preventing children and youth in East Harlem from playing outside on a regular basis are fear of perceived or real violence and a lack of supervision and supplies with which to play.<\/p>\n

\n\t\tYouth learn, play, explore, and engage community outdoors in East Harlem where there are…\n\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t

High-quality or skilled supervision<\/h3>\n \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Adults in the home often work more than one job and may not be available to take the child outside. Older youth and adults may not have the skills to ride a bike, garden, or play sports, and therefore cannot teach their children. Older youth and adults may have a physical condition that limits their physical activity. Older youth may not be able to be seen outdoors in certain areas as a result of crew (or gang) activity and a threat to their safety, and therefore may not take the child outside. Physical education may not be offered at the child\u2019s school. Recess may not provide a child with play time. Child care staff in schools or out-of-school time programs may not be interested in the outdoors and as a result may not take children outdoors.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

Outdoor play supplies<\/h3>\n \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A family may not have money to purchase supplies, or space in the home to store supplies.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

Safe(r) Spaces<\/h3>\n \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

There may be a fear of actual or perceived violence on the blocks near or around a child\u2019s home preventing caregivers from wanting to allow the child to play outdoors.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\n\t

Access to outdoor play experiences in early childhood:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\tHow We Serve\n\t<\/h2>\n\t

Theory of Change<\/strong><\/p>\n\t

We provide youth with outdoor experiences to build soft and hard leadership skills so that they can transform public spaces into safer spaces where they teach the community soft and hard skills and become greater assets to their community and beyond.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"THEORY-OF-CHANGE-copy\"\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

\n\t\tCommunity Health Interventions\n\t<\/h2>\n\t

The Theory of Change is applied through 4 Key Programs:<\/p>\n

\n\t\tDirect Services For & By Children and Youth\n\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\tCity Surfers\n\t<\/h4>\n\t