VCD 256 explored The Irvine Nature Center for their final projects
Students in VCD 256: The Moving Image partnered with the Irvine Nature Center for their final projects. The students were asked to create service learning videos as a call to action for some much-needed volunteers for the center.
Located just around the corner from Owings Mills North on Garrison Forrest Road, the Irvine Nature Center is a popular spot in the community for families, children, birdwatchers and all-around nature lovers. They often host school events, such as camp outs where students from Baltimore City can come explore nature and enjoy overnight camping adventures.
Irvine recently received a donation of nearly 100 acres of land—almost doubling their size! The expansion caused an increase in the need for volunteers to help maintain the nature center. Irvine needed a way to showcase their growing needs, including volunteers to record trees, pull invasive species, help maintain trails and more. This is where our students stepped in! They created call to action videos expressing the uniqueness of Irvine by talking to the staff, interviewing existing volunteers, and researching the mission of the center. Their projects are to be used on the web or in video format for the Irvine Nature Center to help explain their various programs and needs.
Footage was shot on location in various areas of the nature center
Students had fun exploring and learning more about nature during the project as well
Service learning projects such as this allow students to learn beyond the walls of the classroom, dive into community efforts and exercise their communication and design abilities while creating real-world projects that will be utilized by non-profit organizations.