A professor born and raised in Buffalo is partnering with the Buffalo Olmstead Parks Conservancy this week to teach teens about the parks system and its history.
This week marks the first-ever Buffalo East Side Teens in Frederick Law Olmstead Parks, or BET in FLO program, led by Buffalo native and University of Maryland professor Jennifer D. Roberts to show students the notable history and resources of the Olmstead Park system. The focus is particularly on students from Buffalo's East Side, where there are notably fewer parks than on the West Side.
The impact of Olmstead’s work shows Canisius High School junior Vaughn Beauford that he can take time to figure out career goals and still be successful, too.
“I'm not too sure what I want to do when I grew up, but he didn't start working on these parks that looked so nice today until he was, like 36, so a lot later in life," Beauford said. "So, you know, that just gives me a little bit more hope (to) figure out what I want.”
Olmstead parks tour guide Zhi Ting Phua led the group of students, educators and volunteers through Martin Luther King Jr. Park, Delaware Park and some of the city’s parkways, all of which were designed by Olmstead. The partnership with Roberts increases the emphasis on teaching the next generation about Olmstead’s role in Buffalo, Phua said.
“It's very focused and it's like … a very dedicated experience," she said. "I feel very comfortable to like, dive a little deeper with them, to talk about nature, talk about the benefits of parks and the history of how these parks came to be in Buffalo.”
One of Roberts's goals is to have students identify with the common backgrounds they share to increase how much they retain from the three-day program.
“I hope they can see a reflection of themselves being someone, a Black woman who looks very much like many of the participants," she said. "Being someone born in Buffalo, raised in Buffalo, so I hope they can see that commonality.”
Seeing Roberts come back to share her expertise increases the program’s significance, City Honors School sophomore Amari Avent said.
“She's, like, a Buffalo kid, like we are, and she's coming back," Avent said. "It's like she's had our experiences, like living here and like telling us about the history, and she knows about it firsthand, just like we do.”
After learning about the historical aspects Monday, the group will focus on park restoration efforts to close the program Tuesday.
