Natural Lands - The Magazine of Natural Lands Fall/Winter 2019, Issue 155 | Page 15

NAT U R AL LAND S
At face value, the YES program looks like many others
that offer kids from underserved communities career
training and hands-on work experience. But Bob makes
each experience on the preserves a metaphor for the
real world. “At the heart of this program, we want to pro-
vide young people with a safe place to make mistakes.
We provide tools and skills—accountability, time man-
agement, problem solving, punctuality, perseverance—
that will translate to job success later on.” He adds, “It
changes the trajectory of their lives.” W
. FALL/W INT E R 20 1 9
At the end of each season, YES program
participants complete a survey. One ques-
tion asks, “how did this program change
you?” Here are a few of their answers:
“I look for invasives on my own now.”
“I didn’t know how important plants were.”
“I consider how my actions affect the natural world.”
“I learned how to push past obstacles.”
city spaces.
City parks create the opportunity for a whole in building social cohesion, a prime example of the transformative
residents of all ages, incomes, and creating healthy environments, and work that leads to healthier communi-
backgrounds to find themselves out- increasing opportunities for Coates- ties and has already spurred interest
side: to get fit, recharge emotionally, ville residents to be active,” says among the surrounding municipalities
play, and build community connec- Vanessa Briggs, president and CEO to examine the use of their parks and
tions with one another. In Coatesville, of the Brandywine Health Foundation. green spaces as a population health
Chester County’s only city, residents “The Greening Coatesville Initiative is
identified revitalization of their local
parks as a priority. Partnership was
the key to making this vision a reality.
Thanks to the Greening Coatesville
Initiative, a partnership among Natural
Lands, the City of Coatesville, and Bran-
dywine Health Foundation—along with
support from countless residents and
community groups—the revitalization of
Coatesville’s park system is underway.
To date, a brand-new playground
has been installed at Patton Park. On
the other end of town, Palmer Park’s
long-closed swimming pool was re-
placed with a unique nature and water
play area that features native plant-
ings. And a comprehensive planning
process has begun for Ash Park.
But park improvements are just a
part of the broader initiative, which
aims to improve access to the outdoors
in the City.
“Investing in our parks has long-
term benefits for the community as
intervention.” W
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