The Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) will launch its Young Sound Seekers program on August 22, 2020.
This five-year initiative is made possible by a grant award from the National Park Service Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division. The program encourages the appreciation of natural sounds and will help overcome barriers to access by creating a safe, undistracted outdoor space for blind and low-sighted students ages 13 to 22.
ACA has partnered with the Florida Department of Education Blind Services, the Center for the Visually Impaired and Stetson University to develop curriculum that helps youth learn environmental conservation and contribute to the community in new ways.
The program will host students from the Center for Visually Impaired in Daytona Beach with monthly visits to Canaveral National Seashore. Stetson University professors and students will lead a series of listening and field recording activities that teach the value of conserving the natural soundscape – for human wellness, as well as for wildlife communication. Before each visit, the participants will learn about the biodiverse habitat of marine and terrestrial animal species, the history of the Indian River Lagoon and soundscape ecology.