CYCG Youth Engagement Program (YEP!) EnvSmart 2023
Funded by the Howard County Youth Engagement Program (YEP!) Grant, CYCG launched the EnvSmart Project in the summer of 2023 to prompt environmental sustainability, composting, and upcycling.
CYCG students will make, distribute, and educate HoCo residents to use FREE DIY Bokashi Buckets for indoor composting. Worth about $70 on Amazon. The upcoming seminars and distribution events will be announced later.
Only recycling is not enough. This is why CYCG also prompts upcycling. In the recycling process, items are broken down to be reused which degrades the value of materials. Paper and plastic are shredded and glass is smashed. However, in the upcycling process, items are considered as a resource and given a second life and new function in a creative way. For example, paper can be upcycled as paper bracelets, necklaces, or earrings; brown shopping bags can be reused as beautiful gift wraps and paper flowers.
CYCG believes that environmental education should start at an early age, helping the youth form a lifetime habit and instilling the concept of conservation in their minds. Conservation can be done every day simply and efficiently. CYCG volunteer students will share many amazing projects to teach you about how to upcycle your daily items: paper, milk carton, boxes, water bottles, eggshells, cans, fabric, and more. The 6-week free summer upcycling camp is planned between 7/5/2023 to 8/9/2023.
CYCG Upcycling Camp
Location: HCLS Central Branch 2nd floor CEN Studio
Address: 10375 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21044
Date: 7/5/2023-8/9/2023
Time: Wed 6pm-8pm
Wk1 (7/5): Paper Beads Bracelet & Earring
Wk2 (7/12): Toilet Paper Roll Gift Box or Art
Wk3 (7/19): Paper Rose & Tulip
Wk4 (7/26): Milk Carton Desk Organizer
Wk5 (8/2): Eggshell Photo Frame
Wk6 (8/9): Can Pencil Holder
The program may be subject to change.
Interested in earning SSL hours and the President Volunteer Service Award? Please sign up here as a volunteer student.
Interested in registering for the camp? Please register for free here.
*****Update on 7/1/2023. We have reached capacity for all classes at the moment. We will reach out to you if you want to stay in the waiting list and there is an opening spot available later.
CYCG students will make, distribute, and educate HoCo residents to use FREE DIY Bokashi Buckets for indoor composting. Worth about $70 on Amazon. The upcoming seminars and distribution events will be announced later.
Only recycling is not enough. This is why CYCG also prompts upcycling. In the recycling process, items are broken down to be reused which degrades the value of materials. Paper and plastic are shredded and glass is smashed. However, in the upcycling process, items are considered as a resource and given a second life and new function in a creative way. For example, paper can be upcycled as paper bracelets, necklaces, or earrings; brown shopping bags can be reused as beautiful gift wraps and paper flowers.
CYCG believes that environmental education should start at an early age, helping the youth form a lifetime habit and instilling the concept of conservation in their minds. Conservation can be done every day simply and efficiently. CYCG volunteer students will share many amazing projects to teach you about how to upcycle your daily items: paper, milk carton, boxes, water bottles, eggshells, cans, fabric, and more. The 6-week free summer upcycling camp is planned between 7/5/2023 to 8/9/2023.
CYCG Upcycling Camp
Location: HCLS Central Branch 2nd floor CEN Studio
Address: 10375 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21044
Date: 7/5/2023-8/9/2023
Time: Wed 6pm-8pm
Wk1 (7/5): Paper Beads Bracelet & Earring
Wk2 (7/12): Toilet Paper Roll Gift Box or Art
Wk3 (7/19): Paper Rose & Tulip
Wk4 (7/26): Milk Carton Desk Organizer
Wk5 (8/2): Eggshell Photo Frame
Wk6 (8/9): Can Pencil Holder
The program may be subject to change.
Interested in earning SSL hours and the President Volunteer Service Award? Please sign up here as a volunteer student.
Interested in registering for the camp? Please register for free here.
*****Update on 7/1/2023. We have reached capacity for all classes at the moment. We will reach out to you if you want to stay in the waiting list and there is an opening spot available later.
Week 1 (7/5/2023) - Paper Bracelets and Earrings
The global consumption of paper was about 408 million tons in 2021. This is projected to continue rising. How can you upcycle paper, magazines, flyers, gift wraps, and cartons? CYCG shared a very simple way to upcycle daily paper into beautiful bracelets and earrings. They are unique and perfect gifts for your loved ones!
Instructor: Amanda Wang
Instructor: Amanda Wang
Week 2 (7/12/2023) - Toilet Paper Rolls Upcycling
On July 12, 2023, 27 community participants joined our Upcycling class. Everyone had such a fun time making beautiful and creative things from toilet paper rolls. We saw so many fun creations like an owl, crab, peacock, cat, lion, butterflies, and many personalized pencil holders! Some campers also made bracelets and earrings! The event was a great success!
Instructor: Amanda Wang
Instructor: Amanda Wang
Week 3 (7/19/2023) - Paper Flowers
On July 19, 2023, CYCG shared how to make pretty paper roses and tulips from paper, flyers, shopping bags, magazines, napkins, and newspaper. The students turned the class into a beautiful garden within 2 hours! One student made a rose and gave it to his mom as an appreciation gift. Someone even made a basket to hold the flowers. Turning useless papers into pretty flowers can be so much fun with imagination and creativity!
Instructor: Lily Zhang
Assistants: Amanda Wang, Joy Zhang, and Grace Chen
Instructor: Lily Zhang
Assistants: Amanda Wang, Joy Zhang, and Grace Chen
Week 4 (7/26/2023) - Milk Carton Desk Organizer
On July 26, 2023, CYCG played with magic again by turning empty milk cartons into pretty desk organizers! CYCG also shared many simple ways to upcycle milk cartons into things like plant pots, pencil holders, bird feeders, toy houses, wallets, and more. Students are thrilled by their final artworks. Big thanks to the volunteers who helped collecting the milk cartons for us in the last 2 months! Without your help, we couldn't have made it happen!
Instructor: Amanda Wang
Instructor: Amanda Wang
Week 5 (8/2/2023) - Eggshell Photo Frame
On August 2, 2023, CYCG shared how to make unique photo frames with eggshells! The class was run at full capacity aged from 4-year-olds to adults. Everyone enjoyed turning their imagination into things like flowers, an octopus, cherry blossoms, stars, universes, butterflies, fire, bird nests, and more. Upcycling can be so much fun and easy. How will you upcycle?
Instructor: Amanda Wang
Assistants: Lily Zhang, Joy Zhang, and Grace Chen
Instructor: Amanda Wang
Assistants: Lily Zhang, Joy Zhang, and Grace Chen
Week 6 (8/9/2023) - Can Pencil Holder
On August 9, 2023, CYCG taught students how to make Can Pencil Holders from tin/aluminum cans, glass and soda bottles, and tennis ball containers. We had over 40 participates, and in total created over 60 beautiful pencil holders. Students also proudly showcased the artworks they made during this 6-week summer camp. Meghan Lynch, a representative from the County Executive's office, visited the YEP! program and praised the students as a "Role Model of the state and county for helping the environment."
The CYCG reflection video brought back a lot of sweet and unforgettable memories, and the Brochure team presented how to use the DIY Bokashi Buckets. So far, CYCY has distributed 160+ DIY buckets to the community, each handed out with an educational brochure made by CYCG students. Many students really enjoy the camp and the upcycling process, and some have even asked us when the next session will be. We do not know yet, but we will update you when we have our schedule all planned out. Thank you all for your participation and support!
Instructor: Lily Zhang
Assistants: Amanda Wang and Grace Chen
The CYCG reflection video brought back a lot of sweet and unforgettable memories, and the Brochure team presented how to use the DIY Bokashi Buckets. So far, CYCY has distributed 160+ DIY buckets to the community, each handed out with an educational brochure made by CYCG students. Many students really enjoy the camp and the upcycling process, and some have even asked us when the next session will be. We do not know yet, but we will update you when we have our schedule all planned out. Thank you all for your participation and support!
Instructor: Lily Zhang
Assistants: Amanda Wang and Grace Chen
CYCG Gave Out DIY Bokashi Buckets at National Night Out
On August 1, 2023, CYCG proudly participated the 2023 Howard County National Night Out Event, hosted by Howard County Police Department at Wilde Lake Middle School, 6pm to 9pm. Among 61 vendors, CYCG was the only student-led organization.
CYCG's DIY Bokashi Buckets turned out to be the most popular giveaway booth in the event. Students distributed 90 DIY buckets with DIY water bottle inserts, 1 pound bags of Bokashi bran, and educational brochures. CYCG also hosted an upcycling booth to teach kids how to make paper bracelets. Both programs were sponsored by the Howard County Youth Engagement Program (YEP!). Residents visited the booth and learned about the easy and simple indoor composting method. The event went very successfully and CYCG received a lot of accomplishments for their efforts.
CYCG's DIY Bokashi Buckets turned out to be the most popular giveaway booth in the event. Students distributed 90 DIY buckets with DIY water bottle inserts, 1 pound bags of Bokashi bran, and educational brochures. CYCG also hosted an upcycling booth to teach kids how to make paper bracelets. Both programs were sponsored by the Howard County Youth Engagement Program (YEP!). Residents visited the booth and learned about the easy and simple indoor composting method. The event went very successfully and CYCG received a lot of accomplishments for their efforts.