Watsonville Area Teens Conserving Habitats (WATCH) Connecting with Their Community’s Watershed

Abstract

Each day to and from school, Watsonville teens pass over one of California’s largest remaining coastal freshwater wetlands—and many do not recognize this rare habitat or realize that they have an impact on it. To change their view, in 2006 the Monterey Bay Aquarium, in partnership with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District and several community groups, developed WATCH—Watsonville Area Teens Conserving Habitats. WATCH is a year-long, service-learning program that connects high school students, mostly Latino, to their local watershed, while enhancing their science knowledge, English-language learning, and leadership and job skills. The program’s goal is to empower teens and to create positive change within the community. Our ongoing evaluation and improvement of WATCH has occurred primarily through surveys, concept maps and retrospective storyboards. This article describes the program, our use of age-appropriate and culturally sensitive evaluation methods, and our findings regarding the program’s impact on teens’ connection to nature and their community.