In January 2008, Sharon “Ms. Mac” Levine asked sixteen 9-11-year-old children how they would improve East Harlem’s neighborhood health and each said they wanted to live in a cleaner, greener, safer place. The children spent January – March 2008 designing what became Paradise Garden, a 4,000+ square foot, formerly unsightly plot of NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) land just outside their community center, Union Settlement Association. They began installing their dream garden in April 2008 and are now credited with improving the quality of life at Washington Houses. The program expanded in September 2008 to include 7 and 8-year olds with an environmental stewardship basics curriculum.  In January 2009, that group began designing the first youth-fueled urban farm on NYCHA property called Mad Fun Farm, 10,000+ square feet adjacent to Paradise Garden. They studied a diabetes prevention curriculum, including nutrition, fitness, and life skills, and embarked on a Fall Wilderness Retreat to Harriman State Park, most away from home for the first time. In addition to gardening, the 9-12-year-olds created a live show to teach 100 youth and staff at Union Settlement about recycling. In June 2009, the organization won the Osborn Elliot Building Blocks Award from Citizens Committee for NYC. In August 2009, Concrete Safaris won the Legacy Grant from Mount Sinai School of Medicine for CS Explorers, our year-round, outdoor, health-based, service-learning program targeting 7-11-year old children in East Harlem.

In 2010, youth are growing perennials and vegetables, while learning nutrition and physical fitness in hands-on, diabetes prevention and environmental health education sessions. The children are studying entrepreneurship and starting a farm stand during our intensive, after school and summertime, tri-weekly workshops. They are hosting Green Exercise Days, full or half-day field trips in which our after school participants bring their traditional school classes to our site. They are engaging their parents through physical activity and nutrition lessons. They are creating a public service announcement encouraging the community to steam vegetables (rather than fry them) and exercise as a healthy lifestyle commitment, and capturing the health and nutrition impacts of gardening and hiking through a photography exhibit. Lastly, the children are embarking on three 2-night wilderness trips during which they discover seasonal outdoor exercise by hiking in Harriman State Park and further their understanding of the connection between green exercise and diabetes prevention. Over the 2009/2010 school year, participating children are transforming into healthy community leaders, building physical and mental strength as well as the knowledge to prevent diabetes with the support of their social networks.