Explore the Park in a Truck (PiaT) Park Ambassador Program, incorporate principles of social equity and inclusivity into landscape design projects, gain insights into participatory design methods that empower communities to shape their public spaces, and explore youth surveys designed to assess population health needs will Professor and Director of the Landscape Architecture Program at Thomas Jefferson University, Kimberlee Douglas and LandscapeWebinars.org on May 29.

Earn LA/CES HSW, APLD, PGMS, and NALP CEUs.

Webinar Description:
Can participation in the Park in a Truck (PiaT) Park Ambassador Program, which empowers 11-13-year-olds by teaching them the value of their neighborhood, the importance of nature, and the impact of their contributions in planning parks and community spaces, combat negative racial socialization and enhance self-esteem and mental health?

PiaT is a green-space development initiative that enables communities to transform underutilized spaces into affordable, rapidly implemented, and highly interactive green spaces. Building on this foundation, the Park Ambassador Program was developed as a paid internship for youth to make a positive impact on their neighborhoods. Through this program, participants engage in educational activities, construct parks, plan community events, and maintain green spaces, all while developing skills to advance their educational and career trajectories. To evaluate the program's effectiveness, we conducted a community-engaged research project that focused on the mental health and social impacts of the Park Ambassador Program, with a particular emphasis on urban youth in grades 7-10.

 
This research examined:

• Self-Esteem Development: How participation instilled a sense of pride, accomplishment, and self-worth.

• Combating Negative Racial Socialization: Did engagement reduced the harmful effects of negative racial stereotypes and fostered positive narratives about participants? roles in their community.

• Mental Health Benefits: How interaction with nature and involvement in community-building activities improved mental well-being and resilience.

Learning Objectives:
1. Integrating Equity in Design: Attendees will learn how to incorporate principles of social equity and inclusivity into landscape design projects, ensuring that spaces serve diverse communities effectively and equitably.
2. Community-Engaged Design Processes: Attendees will gain insights into participatory design methods that empower communities to shape their public spaces, fostering collaboration and long-term stewardship of the built environment.
3. Attendees will explore youth surveys designed to assess population health needs, supporting data-driven decision-making to inform equitable and impactful landscape interventions that promote public health and well-being.

Kimberlee Douglas
Professor Kim Douglas is the Director of the Landscape Architecture Program at Thomas Jefferson University and the Director of the Lab for Urban and Social Innovation. Both the Lab and her program strive for equitable and sustainable design through hands-on learning projects. She believes all communities have the right to an ecologically, socially, and economically healthy environment.

In 2016, she was awarded the Anton Germinshuizen Stantec Term Chair in landscape architecture which allows her to continue her research on the effects of contact with nature on communities. Her research includes the acclaimed Park in a Truck project that provides a DIY open-source system that makes it easy for communities to design, build and maintain beautiful, green, low-cost public spaces for healthy, sustainable living. Kim is also currently working on a Pollinator Network in southwest Philadelphia which will increase habitat and green space as well as a Robert Wood Johnson fellowship grant that is researching the mental health effects of the Park in a Truck Ambassasor program on 11-13 year olds.

Kim is a licensed landscape architect and founding principal of STUDIO GAEA, an award-winning landscape architectural firm. Her many awards include Cynwyd Heritage Trail in Bala Cynwyd, PA, a rehabilitated brownfield rail corridor and the Linwood Avenue Park Plan in Ardmore, PA an innovative sustainable design for a neighborhood park.

Professor Douglas shares her experience in the field of landscape architecture by her involvement in many teaching and volunteer organizations. She regularly visits high schools to talk about the importance of the profession of landscape architecture, works with the Community Design Collaborative and ACE Mentor Program and is an Associate with the Environmental Leadership Program which promotes and encourages leaders in the environmental field. She was recently awarded the ASLA's Community Service Award that recognizes pro bono service to the community.