Fair Future Movement Inc

TO UNITE THE COMMUNITY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. WE WORK TO FOSTER A MULTIRACIAL AND MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY BY CONNECTING AND ENGAGING WITH FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED OR NOT INVOLVED IN THE TRADITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT, DISMANTLING SYSTEMIC BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION, AND AMPLIFYING AND ORGANIZING AROUND CURRENT COMMUNITY INITIATIVES.

THE ART-AT-THE-PARK INITIATIVE INTEGRATED A BROAD RANGE OF ACTIVITIES BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF URBAN ECOLOGY, A CONCEPT THAT IS NOT SOLELY FOCUSED ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT BUT ALSO ON PRESERVING AND DOCUMENTING THE EXPERIENCES OF THE PEOPLE WHO CURRENTLY LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE THEM. WORKING WITH COMMUNITY ARTISTS AND STUDENTS FROM AREA COLLEGES, WE RECORDED INTERVIEWS WITH RESIDENTS AND PRESENTED THEM THROUGH STUDENTS ARTWORK TO HONOR AND COMMEMORATE THE KNOWLEDGE OF A COMMUNITYS PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE HISTORIES AS KEY TO ITS SUSTAINABILITY. OUR IDENTITY AS HUMANS IS VERY MUCH CONNECTED TO THE LAND WE OCCUPY. STRIVING TO UNDERSTAND THE URBAN ECOLOGY ALSO LETS US FOCUS ON THIS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND THE SPACES (HISTORICAL, NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL) THAT THEY INHABIT.

OTHER PROGRAMMING FOCUSED ON THE ENVIRONMENT.

IN 2023, WISCONSIN GREEN MUSLIMS PRESENTED WIDELY ABOUT CLIMATE JUSTICE AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AS THEY RELATE TO CLEAN AIR, SAFE DRINKING WATER, HEALTHY FOOD, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, JUST SOLAR, WASTE REDUCTION, AND TRANSPORTATION EQUITY LOCALLY, REGIONALLY, AND NATIONALLY. SEVEN OP-EDS AND ARTICLES WERE CO- PUBLISHED IN LOCAL AND NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS REACHING HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE. 18TH ANNUAL GREEN RAMADAN CAMPAIGN TOOK PLACE. WISCONSIN FAITH AND SOLAR INITIATIVE, WHICH IS COORDINATED BY WISCONSIN GREEN MUSLIMS REACHED 9,000 PEOPLE FROM 19 DIFFERENT FAITH TRADITIONS AND SPIRITUALTIES.

NEARBY NATURE MILWAUKEE IN 2023, WE REVAMPED OUR YOUTH PROGRAMMING, TO SPEND MORE HOURS IN EACH CLASSROOM TO DEEPEN OUR CONNECTIONS WITH THE YOUTH. OUR YOUTH PROGRAMS DELIVERED 232 HOURS OF PROGRAMMING AND IMPACTED 362 YOUTH. IN A SEMESTER END SURVEY, 75% OF STUDENTS FELT MORE COMFORTABLE IN NATURE THAN BEFORE. 91% SAID THEY WOULD LIKE TO SPEND MORE TIME IN NATURE AND 82% SAID THEY WOULD LIKE TO VISIT OUTDOOR FIELD-TRIP SITES WITH THEIR FAMILIES. IN THE AREA OF ADULT AND FAMILY PROGRAMMING, WE HOSTED 40 EVENTS AND SERVED 1030 ATTENDEES. THESE EVENTS INCLUDED RECREATIONAL, EDUCATIONAL, CULTURAL, AND SERVICE OUTINGS. FOR ONE EXAMPLE, WE PARTNERED WITH A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION TO INTRODUCE OVER 100 COMMUNITY RESIDENTS TO PADDLING ON THE MILWAUKEE RIVER. AMONG OUR VOLUNTEER SERVICE PROJECTS WAS DOUBLING THE LENGTH OF A HIKING TRAIL ALONG LINCOLN CREEK IN AN INNER CITY WILD AREA AFTER NEGOTIATING AN AGREEMENT WITH THE PROPERTY OWNERS. IN THE SUMMER OF 2023, WE CONDUCTED A LAND STEWARDSHIP INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WITH 4 COLLEGE AGE INTERNS. IN ADDITION TO LAND STEWARDSHIP, THE EXPERIENCE INCLUDED WILDLIFE HABITAT RESEARCH, GREEN CAREER EXPLORATIONS, OUTDOOR RECREATION, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. TOTAL PROGRAM TIME FOR THIS PAID INTERNSHIP WAS 164 HOURS. IN THE SUMMER OF 2023, WE CONDUCTED WILDLIFE RESEARCH IN HOPKINS HOLLOW. WE DID ACOUSTICAL MONITORING OF BREEDING BIRDS, BATS, AND TOADS. WE CONDUCTED MANUAL COUNTS OF BREEDING BIRDS AND A MANUAL SNAKE SURVEY, WHERE STAFF, INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS COUNTED AND MEASURED SNAKES THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. WE ALSO JOINED A DNR PROGRAM, TO MONITOR LARGE MAMMALS INCLUDING DEER AND COYOTES. ADDITIONALLY, WE CONTINUED THE WORK TO BUILD CONNECTIONS ON THE LINCOLN CREEK GREENWAY. OUR OUTREACH WORK INCREASED PARTICIPATION IN AN ANNUAL SPRING CLEANUP BY 75%. IN JUNE, WE LED A GROUP OF PARTNERS TO HOLD A WATERWAYS CELEBRATION TO HIGHLIGHT PROJECTS ALONG LINCOLN CREEK AND MILWAUKEES OTHER RIVERS.