The Malden River brought to YOU by the Youth of Malden!

By Karen Buck of the Friends of Malden River and Malden River Works

From river cleanups to filming public service announcements to photovoice projects—the Friends of the Malden River (FoMR) and the Malden River Works (MRW) project are having a blast while collaborating with youth in Malden. Take a look at some of the great work that was produced by our local youth!

YWCA leaders talking about extreme heat. “Good timing” during our 2021 fourth heat wave on August 12th

Photo by Carlos Aragon, Youth Representative of the Malden River Works Steering Committee and participant in the Photovoice project.

Photo by Carlos Aragon, Youth Representative of the Malden River Works Steering Committee and participant in the Photovoice project.

Malden Catholic student Amy Nguyen, pictured here, filming on the river, works with UMA to create a PSA about caring for the river. Photo by Carlos Aragon

Data sheet from YWCA recording high heat.

Part of the photo narrative project, "Voice of the Malden River," documenting restoration along the river.

"My internship at Urban Media Arts (UMA) was by far a breathtaking and extremely fun experience, '' said Frederika Noel, UMA intern of Malden Catholic School, who helped create public service announcements and worked with the  photovoice project. “Discovering nature, learning more about the world around us, and being able to capture it all in one was mesmerizing." 

Here are some highlights of all the youth work this year:

• Voice of the Malden River PhotoVoice project was sponsored by Urban Media Arts and MIT's Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (via the City Prize awarded to Malden River Works).   PhotoVoice is an opportunity to engage the community in dialogue about assets, opportunities and challenges of the Malden River through photographs and narratives. UMA created an intern program with Malden Catholic and Malden High School.  The interns studied the art of film making and the science of the Malden River to capture the beauty and challenges of the Malden River through photographs.  These captioned photographs will be presented to the City of Malden via social media and gallery exhibits. 

• During April break, youth from UMA and Malden Catholic joined the Friends of Malden River in a cleanup of the river, and then worked together to create a PSA about the river. Read more from the students in this project in Malden’s Neighborhood View’s article,  Malden River Cleanup Raises Awareness of Local Environmental Issues.

• During an August heat wave Marian Miller, Education Program Director of MyRWA worked with the YWCA Leaders to learn about heat island effects, and actually mapped some extreme heat islands next to the Malden River. 

• The Malden Teen Enrichment Center (MTEC) and the YWCA have been leaders in creating the community-driven design and outreach for the Malden River Works Project -which will result in a new riverfront park in Malden that reflects the needs and desires of all community members—including youth!

The goal of the FoMR is to educate our residents about the importance of protecting the Malden River ecosystem for public health.  When the City of Malden truly realizes and preserves its natural treasure, the Malden River will thrive.  Youth and engaged facilitators are our driving force—thank you!