VISIT SITE
Mission Statement
The mission of MORE is to provide underserved youth in the Mid-South with a unique experiential educational program comprised of integral mind, body and spirit activities through an interdisciplinary environmental, cultural and economic curriculum.
Description
The MORE program format is an experiential-interdisciplinary education curriculum and community alliance for underserved youth that focuses on environmental and cultural issues that are compatible with integral mind, body and spirit activities. Partners include a diverse blend of non-profit organizations, academic institutions and business enterprises that have come together as a unified consortium, with collective and enhanced impact, to provide outdoor educational experiences that also highlight parallel career opportunities.
The program will initially begin in the fall of 2013 with 6th grade class students at two schools recommended and approved by the Achievement School District: Westside Middle School and Gordon Science & Arts Academy, with a total of approximately 300 participants.
Studies and lesson plans about the Mississippi River and its watershed will be the overarching theme for state certified curriculum that addresses history, culture, environmental issues and potential jobs associated with the river. This experiential education program will take students outside onto a “classroom” Riverboat coupled with activities at the Mud Island River Park & Museum. They will directly experience the awesome magnitude of the Mississippi River and learn about its expansive watershed to help them further engage in their scholastic curriculum in a more meaningful way.
Additionally, teachers, guest speakers and associated business professionals will provide a truly outstanding lecture series for each of the various outdoor sessions. The second semester will feature several more natural outdoor locations and activities that relate to the evolving curriculum about the Mississippi and its tributaries.
Classes will expand in the following year to include additional MORE experiential educational programs through hiking bluff trails, paddling the tributaries, cycling the Mississippi River Trail and camping in scenic and natural environments. During each outdoor venture, the students will also be enlightened with interesting employment opportunities directly related to each excursion and MORE lesson plan.
Sponsors:
- Community Foundation of Greater Memphis
- Poplar Foundation
- Fedex
- Achievement School District
- Wolf River Conservancy
- Arkwings
- Riverfront Development Corporation
- Mud Island River Park
- Memphis Riverboats
- Clean Memphis
- Shelby County Government
- University of Memphis
- Mississippi River Corridor Tennessee
