Shared Grounds: Bridging Generations Across Nature

Green space, park access, and trees

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Unequal access to green spaces is a form of environmental injustice and racism. Low-income communities of color are disproportionately exposed to poor air quality and dangerous heat and also deprived of the physical, social, and cognitive health benefits these spaces provide. Research suggests that these groups may derive even greater benefits from access to green spaces due to their lack of access to other health-promoting resources.
In LA’s Chinatown, lack of green space for API immigrant elders is worsened by transportation and language barriers, isolation, and safety concerns. Similarly, limited green space for youth of color in the SGV hinders their opportunities to become passionate about such spaces. As youth contend with societal pressures, including academic achievement and social isolation, the need for healthy coping skills is critical. Facilitating access to green spaces that also fosters meaningful social connections can help narrow health inequities among our community.

SSG/APIFM will improve access to green spaces while facilitating an intergenerational, culturally and linguistically relevant program to combat social isolation and improve health and well-being for low-income communities of color. We will particularly focus on elderly API immigrants in Chinatown and API and Latinx youth from the SGV. SSG/APIFM will plan engaging nature activities, including guided hikes and educational nature walks that explore state and city parks - modeled after our Hike API initiative designed to connect people to nature. Participants will be recruited through our current community partnerships, such as food distributions and high school clubs, where we outreach to youth for our Environmental Justice Summer Institute (EJSI) program. Four times a year, guest speakers will join these trips to introduce the area’s history and amenities, as well as share the environmental and health benefits to participants. Reflective questions such as “share a childhood memory of a favorite park” will encourage relationship building and meaningful learning experiences for the youth and elders.
All program materials will be available in English, Spanish, and Chinese (traditional and simplified) to ensure language access. SSG/APIFM is well suited to implement this project due to our existing relationships with the target community and experience developing culturally and linguistically relevant programs that reduce barriers to green spaces for marginalized communities.

Low-income communities of color, and communities with a high concentration of elders, experience significant inequities in green space access. For many, these spaces can also enact a ‘politics of belonging’ and discriminatory experiences that impact who feels welcome and safe to enjoy public spaces versus who does not. Through this project, we hope to provide positive experiences that improve usage patterns in outdoor spaces among marginalized communities. In the short term, we hope participants will return to these spaces and invite friends and family members - expanding access to the benefits of nature and developing a new group of environmental ambassadors. Long-term, we hope improving green space access will reduce health and environmental inequities for our communities. Additionally, by fostering empathy and respect between youth and elders, dismantling stereotypes and enhancing connections, we hope this project will promote a culture of intergenerational camaraderie in LA County.

This pilot was inspired by learnings from our partnership with the Chinatown Library Teen Council, where we partner with youth to distribute culturally relevant produce to low-income older adults in Chinatown. Youth decorated the produce bags and left in-language notes, which the elders welcomed. Anecdotal feedback showed that the project was meaningful to both youth and elders and highlighted an opportunity to bring the groups together to facilitate healthy activities that promote meaningful connection. To measure the success of the project, we will incorporate elements of our Park Access Survey for older adults and data collection tools from our EJSI program. The Park Access Survey incorporated photos and minimal words to promote accessibility for the older adults. The EJSI collected quantitative (pre/post surveys) and qualitative (debrief meetings) data to measure the impact of green spaces on API and Latinx youth. We will adapt these tools to measure the success of the project.