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Harlem World: 1,000 NYC Students And Teachers Attend 13th Annual Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference
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NY Hispano: Estudiantes y Maestros en la Conferencia de Sostenibilidad de NY Sun Works
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The 13th Annual Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference is Here!
At the heart of every Youth Conference are, of course, the students! Last year, we watched a host of exciting presentations from students as young as 2nd grade, and as advanced as high school seniors, on subjects related to hydroponics, climate science, urban green space, and more! Our conference was split into three categories: students as Farmer Scientists and researchers; as innovators and engineers; and as global citizens and community leaders.
This year, we have another amazing lineup of student speakers from across the city who are sure to awe us with their scientific expertise. We’ll be sharing a livestream of portions of the event tomorrow morning, so be sure to follow us on Instagram for notifications about when we go live. But for those too eager to wait, some upcoming topics you can expect to hear about include the power of mushrooms, taking climate action through waste reduction, and exploring the powerful uses of hydroponically grown healing herbs!
Whether it means building their own hydroponic systems, growing crops in innovative ways, or researching how to do so more sustainably, students always bring creative and ambitious ideas to the table, and inspire us to dream big when it comes to climate action. In the meantime, feel free to check out some of last year’s student presentations on our YouTube Channel. We look forward to seeing all our school partners later this week at the beautiful Javits Center!
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The 13th Annual Youth Conference – Discovering Sustainability Science at the Javits Center
The 13th Discovering Sustainability Science Youth Conference is just a few weeks away, and we’re more excited than ever to welcome hundreds of students from across NYC back to the iconic Javits Center for the second year in a row. While last year was a welcome return to in-person learning after holding virtual conferences throughout the pandemic, this year’s conference promises more fun and climate connections than ever. Over the coming weeks, we’ll share more sneak peeks about the conference including guest speaker highlights, previous student presentations, and more, so get ready for a May full of learning and sustainability.
At last year’s conference, we were joined by over 900 students and educators, with presenters ranging from 2nd to 12th graders taking the stage to share their work. With topics ranging from homemade hydroponics and automated farming to urban green space and vermicomposting, it was wonderful to hear insights from so many Farmer Scientists’ perspectives. Through exploring environmental science subjects, students made meaningful connections between urban farming experiments and their impacts on current climate challenges. Additionally, high school students in our Urban Agriculture Workforce Development Program attended our first ever college and career fair at the Youth Conference, making professional connections with organizations and universities while receiving resume reviews from our Associate Board. And supporting all this: the Youth Press Team, made up of students from our partner schools, lent their journalistic perspectives to the event through interview-based articles. This year, we’re inviting students from across the five boroughs to join us again, where the joy of learning meets the science of sustainability.
The Youth Conference is more than a simple gathering of students; it’s an important opportunity for Farmer Scientists from separate schools to come together and share in the experience of learning in a Hydroponic Classroom. While we proudly support over 300 partner schools across NYC and beyond, it can be challenging for educators to meaningfully connect with one another between their day-to-day activities. The Youth Conference presents a unique opportunity for students of all ages to see that they aren’t alone in the work they’re doing, and feel part of a growing, green community. It’s also a chance for young New Yorkers to hear from STEM and urban farming professionals, and take inspiration from their real-life journeys into the worlds of climate science and sustainable agriculture.
This year’s Youth Conference will once again be kicked off by Javits Center CEO Alan Steel, who has helped the renowned New York City convention center innovate on urban sustainability through projects like their 1-acre rooftop farm and 6.75 acres of other rooftop green space. We’ll soon be sharing more insights into what to expect from this year’s conference, so stay tuned for more opportunities to get involved, including a live stream of select presentations for those who can’t attend. We’ll also be sharing a recording of the full conference after the event. To learn more about the 2024 Youth Conference and past conferences, please visit our website. Read this week’s full newsletter here.
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New Partner School Chancellor’s Day PD
New Partner Schools – join us for our final NY Sun Works professional learning sessions of the school year! This training will focus on introducing you to fundamental hydroponics principles and practices and provide an overview of what to expect from the NY Sun Works team regarding systems training and curriculum support. Teachers and interested administrators will be given access to the online curriculum so that they can begin planning for the fall.
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Creating a Student Scrapbook at the 13th Annual Youth Conference!
The 13th Annual Youth Conference is just around the corner, and we’re more excited than ever to welcome students and teachers to the Javits Center for a day of joyful learning and sustainability science!
To celebrate this event, we’re launching our new Student Scrapbook. The Student Scrapbook invites Farmer Scientists (and teachers) in attendance to contribute to an online memory book commemorating the occasion. Submitting to the scrapbook also gives you a chance to win a mushroom growing kit for your Hydroponic Classroom. Anything from group photos and selfies to scenic shots of the beautiful rooftop farm and pavilion are welcome.
To participate, attendees can either email their photos to our Social Media and Communications Coordinator Jake, or post them on Instagram and tag @NYSunWorks and hashtag #NYSunWorks. Only photos taken at the Youth Conference are eligible for entry. Submissions begin on Thursday, May 23rd, 2024 and close end-of-day on Monday, May 27, 2024.
If you choose to participate, in addition to entering to win a mushroom growing kit, you can expect to see your submissions in the student-focused edition of our official newsletter shortly after the conference. We look forward to seeing all your smiling faces again this year! Please contact Jake with any questions or concerns.
(Participating students MUST have signed Media Release Forms if below the age of 18.)
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Current Partner School Chancellor’s Day PD
Current school partners – join us for our final full-day NY Sun Works professional learning session of the school year! For the third year in a row, we are rounding out the year with a round table discussion and share-outs of best practices from exemplary teachers. There will be opportunities to hear from veteran NYSW teachers, connect with one another, share ideas, and brainstorm for future activities and practices for your Hydroponic Classrooms.
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How Farmer Scientists are Changing Their Worlds: Earth Month & the 13th Annual Youth Conference
Spending time learning in a NY Sun Works Hydroponic Classroom is about more than just growing plants at school. For students whose lives have consisted primarily of concrete and pavement, nurturing the growth of a living thing is a far cry from their everyday experiences. Green space has become an increasingly important topic of discussion for city planners and leaders, but this is primarily in reference to parks and other outdoor areas. We dare to ask, what about indoor green spaces too?
This month is Earth Month, and as we take time to recognize the many initiatives and advancements made in recent years toward stewarding the Earth, we feel it’s equally important to revisit the time-tested wisdom that every month should be Earth Month. This alliterative proverb is certainly a handy social media tagline, but we believe it can also be so much more. It’s an energizing call to action that reminds us of one sustainability’s core tenets: that truly meaningful climate action must be undertaken using a long-term approach. It’s easy to evoke environmentally-friendly energy for a specific month, but to see what it really means to live sustainably, we look to the Farmer Scientists in our classrooms for inspiration.
For students who adopt the mantle of Farmer Scientists, these classrooms are an oasis of project-based learning, where they can experience firsthand how their actions influence the world around them. A forgetful moment can result in wilted leaves and wasted efforts, directly exposing students to the fact that diligence and consistency are the key to a bountiful harvest. In these inspiring moments of hands-on education, students in our Hydroponic Classrooms build environmentally-friendly habits that they can carry with them as they walk out the door each day.
From forming a deeper appreciation for the fruits and veggies their parents prepare at home, to paying closer attention to just how much water they waste, there’s a lesson to be learned in every harvest. To that end, we’ve created our Discovering Sustainability Science curriculum to support students as they embark on journeys of environmental stewardship. But our goal isn’t just to improve students’ science test scores, it’s also to make them aware that not only is nature all around us, we’re part of it, too. Young people have been levied with the responsibility of facing a climate-altered future, and it’s up to us to provide the opportunities and education they’ll need to not only survive, but thrive.
Through climate education, families around the city are enjoying regular harvests of fresh hydroponically-grown produce, and learning about the importance of subjects like growing produce locally rather than accruing food miles from afar. In celebration of the hard work our Farmer Scientists have been doing, we’re gathering over 900 students from across NYC at the iconic Javits Center for our Annual Youth Conference on May 23rd. Showcasing the efforts of students to learn, grow, and flourish alongside plants in their classrooms reinforces the importance of these sustainable practices, and gives them an opportunity to shine like they so deserve. And in honor of Earth Month, we encourage everyone, New Yorkers and beyond, to make small and sustainable changes to their everyday routines. Let’s cherish the Earth that has given us life, and provide the sustainable future our young people truly deserve.
For more information about the 2024 Youth Conference, please visit our website.
