Concrete Safaris Youth Outdoor Programs

Concrete Safaris Youth Outdoor Programs offers Green Exercise Days, which are outdoor, educational field trips and/or community service experiences in the gardens. It also offers the Outdoor Leadership Academy, an internship program that includes gardening, landscaping, outdoor play, placemaking, photography, evaluation, health promotion, and nonprofit management, plus PlacemakingCorps, an AmeriCorps service opportunity supporting youth development and community building.

Programs

• Green Exercise Days — children and youth · Outdoor, educational field trips and/or community service experiences in the gardens.
• Outdoor Leadership Academy — 14-24-year-olds · An internship program divided into cohorts including gardening, landscaping, outdoor play, placemaking, photography, evaluation, health promotion, and nonprofit management.
• PlacemakingCorps — AmeriCorps service opportunity supporting youth development and community building.

At a glance

• Ages: 7–18 years old
• General schedule: Daily participating children, ages 7 - 11, are active in all cohorts. Weekly or single-day participating children are introduced to one or more cohorts per program. 14-15-Year-Olds learn to specialize in a particular cohort. 16-24-Year-Olds learn to specialize in a particular cohort, and gain exposure to at least one additional cohort.

About the provider

Concrete Safaris has been active since 2008. Christopher Hartsfield is the Programs Director overseeing Outdoor Leadership Academy, AmeriCorps, and single-day events, and Mac Levine, MPH is the Founding Executive Director. The organization says it prepares youth in East Harlem and beyond to lead healthy lives and shape their environment through outdoor education, play, exploration, and community engagement. It also joins community garden events twice per month to plant, weed, rake, shovel, and clean up trash.

Rules listed: Respect, Responsibility, Uniqueness, Listening, Learning, Exercising, Eating Healthfully, Positive Energy, Sharing, Safety, Fun, Friendship. Shared values listed: Adventure, Bravery, Creativity, Curiosity, Discipline, Safety, Healthy Risk-Taking.

Last updated November 7, 2026.