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Beyond Our Bubble has developed numerous projects over the years as a part of our ongoing efforts to provide unique opportunities for involvement in community service.
Don’t Be Idle Campaign
The first citywide campaign of the Green Teens, the Don’t Be Idle Campaign aimed to reduce tailpipe emissions from cars idling in front of our city’s schools. Car exhaust contains a wide range of compounds that are linked to both the greenhouse effect and numerous respiratory illnesses. It was our goal to reduce the number of cars idling as parents waited to pick up their children. The campaign included three major aspects: student involvement and education, community awareness, and the placement of permanent “Don’t Idle” signs at each school.
Student Involvement and Education:
The Green Teens worked tirelessly to engage elementary school students and faculty in the Don’t Be Idle Campaign. This involved the coordination of student groups and classes at each of the 9 local Community Awareness:
The Green Teens made a significant effort to involve the greater community in the efforts of the Don’t Be Idle Campaign. Through such channels as the Sustainability Advisory Board and Eco-Parents Network, the Green Teens worked to spread information about the dangers idling on our health and planet. Regular press releases and articles in the local of paper, as well as online information and emails to parents carried the message further into the community. The Teen Challenge
week Final Challenge project in the summer (think Extreme Home Makeover / Oprah’s Big Give teen-style).
Trainings:
The team met regularly for trainings, exercises and networking activities providing the knowledge and skills needed to successfully and creatively help others. In addition to these trainings, the team performed mini-simulations, allowing them to further develop their abilities and teamwork.
Acts of Kindness:
The Team participated in multiple community-based volunteer efforts during their training. In addition to the more traditional service projects, the team practiced a variety of Acts of Kindness. These activities demonstrated how giving can be fun and easy, and brighten someone’s day.
The Final Challenge:
and under the constraints of time, the teens worked fervently on projects ranging from building raised garden beds to painting to home repairs. They networked and raised funds to bring in volunteer and professional builders, flooring experts, and electricians. They worked with Team Depot, and fellow student volunteers to complete many of the projects, and reached out to the community to provide the family with a wonderful vacation in the Portland area.
Earth Week
The Green Teens came together in 2011 to create a series of coordinated events surrounding the celebration of Earth Week. The project included developing and giving presentations for the elementary schools and involving Junior High students in active environmental service.
Presentations:
in each of the four themed, interactive stations. The Electricity Station had a quiz-buzzer activity to teach students about clean energy. The Water Station had a guessing game about water usage. The Recycling Station had a relay race for sorting garbage. The Close-to-Home Station had a web-of-life activity to show the connection of all living things. Finally, a “wrap-up rap” at the end of the presentation encouraged students to join their school’s environmental club.
Junior High Students:
interesting involvement. The second part was a competitive ivy pull between the city’s two junior high schools, hosted by Tryon Creek State Park. The students converged on a plot of forest overrun with ivy and raced to clear as much as possible. In the end, the teams cleared a great deal of the invasive species, and had great fun in the process
Beyond Our Bubble: Past Projects
elementary schools. Instruction packets containing curricular information, craft projects, and an introductory video by the Green Teens were given to each school. Student Involvement culminated with the Kick-off day during which students paraded their school parking lots encouraging parents to not idle their cars.
Permanent “Please Don’t Idle” Signs:
In an effort to sustain the impacts of the Don’t Be Idle Campaign, the Green Teens had metal street signs installed outside each school, reminding drivers not to idle. The Green Teens worked with the school board and administrators at each school to approve and order signs for all 13 district campuses. Today, the red, black, and white signs continue to remind drivers not to idle their cars.
The Beyond Our Bubble Teen Challenge provided a team of six high school students the opportunity to bring about lasting, personalized and positive change in the lives of those less fortunate. The team worked throughout the spring to master critical skills and develop networks, all leading up to a two-
The entire experience culminated in the summer with the two-week Final Challenge. In July, the team was presented with a carefully-selected family in need and developed creative, meaningful, and personalized ways of helping them. Starting with no money
The team developed a multi-faceted, interactive presentation for the 3rd-4th grade students of the district. After extensive research, development, and practice, the presentation included two skits and four interactive stations. After a brief intro skit, students divided up to participate
To engage junior high students in Earth Week, The Green Teens created a two part program. First, the Green Teens compiled a series of movie clips to show during the students’ lunch periods. These brief clips showcased interesting aspects of the environmental movement, and were meant to excite some
