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Zoo Program Focuses On Teens

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 28, 2008

TAMPA - A new youth center at Lowry Park Zoo will provide space for a pilot program to educate teens about conservation and to equip them with leadership skills.

The free nine-month program will kick off in June and include workshops, field trips and presentations to community groups. The zoo can accept up to 40 students ages 12 to 18. Applications are available online and due Friday.

The Education, Conservation and Community Opportunities Leadership Program - known as ECCO - comes at a time when the zoo is expanding its youth options. The zoo started planning in 2005 to expand its Zoo School to add classroom space for day care, preschool and kindergarten and offer more to older children as well.

In December, it completed the $500,000 Zoo School Youth Development Center, a 2,500-square-foot building with study spots, a computer lab and wireless network, and a library with zoological and environmental resource books. It houses the teen volunteer Zoo Crew Explorers program.

The ECCO students will use the building during weekday afternoons to attend workshops or just to hang out with friends and use the computers or do homework, said Mary Corinne DeGood, youth programs manager.

"We really want teens to use this space and the youth center," she said.

The zoo got a two-year arts and culture grant from Jane's Trust, a national source of grants named in honor of late benefactor Jane Cook. The grant provided $125,000 for a youth program, and DeGood hopes it will have enough success at the zoo to continue once funding expires.

DeGood has been talking to students in high school veterinary programs and community groups and hopes to attract some who live in the Lowry Park area. It is targeted to teens interested in animals or the environment, she said.

Students who join ECCO will earn more than 180 volunteer hours as they commit to nine months of involvement, beginning this summer. They will attend two interactive workshops a week, which they can schedule on various days.

The first three months will focus on leadership, teamwork, respect, and college and job preparation, DeGood said. The second period will get into conservation and give students a chance to work with animals. The final phase brings the students into the community to serve as "civic ambassadors" and make presentations to local organizations.

Students also will take local or longer-distance trips, such as a teaching zoo or colleges where they can learn about career options for the future.

GET INVOLVED

The Education, Conservation and Community Opportunities leadership program will start June 9 at Lowry Park Zoo. Applications are due Friday and are available at

www.lowryparkzoo.com under the "Zoo and You" and "volunteer" links. Applicants must include two letters of recommendation, an essay and a recent report card. For information, call Mary Corinne DeGood at (813) 935-8552, ext. 479.

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503 or cpastor@tampatrib.com.

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