Meet Allie McCarthy | Youth and Family Programs Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allie McCarthy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allie, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Why was Groundwork San Diego – Chollas Creek formed into a non-profit environmentally focused organization?
In 2007, Groundwork was founded at the request of the City of San Diego to lead the master plan for the Chollas Creek Watershed, which is located in southeastern area of the city. The communities in this area were tragically altered with the construction of several freeways along with being overlooked on vital community infrastructure. Initial funding came from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others in recognition of the role the environment plays in the well-being of low-income residents.

The Chollas Creek Enhancement Program was developed through extensive stakeholder collaboration that represented neighborhoods, community planning groups, nonprofits, and faith-based institutions that span across the 22 square miles of the watershed. Its vision is to recover the pre-urbanization beauty of the creek and other natural resources of the region through education, advocacy, and compelling environmental design and restoration.

How does Groundwork help the Chollas Creek watershed communities?
We focus on climate and environmental education for students and community members which then fosters community voice on issues most important to residents. With community advocacy leading the direction, we all work together to make change happen and address climate impacts such as flooding and excessive heat. To that end, Groundwork has generated over $12 million in government and philanthropic funding and engaged thousands of volunteers and stakeholders working toward creating healthy climate safe neighborhoods.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In providing environmentally focused STEAM education to under-resourced students, how have you seen this education experience impacting your students?
Seeing the students’ curiosity come alive as they step into our EarthLab nature space and then experiencing their energy and excitement as they work in teams to solve climate challenges in their community—that enthusiasm is what keeps me going every day. At this point in my tenure at Groundwork, I have been able to work with the same students for 6 years and getting to watch them grow up and figure out how they can improve their community and how they want to incorporate STEAM into their lives and future careers has been an honor to witness and take part in. The most magical thing about working with students from K-12th grade in under-resourced schools is getting to accompany them from elementary school, through the weird years of middle school and into high school and beyond, to see them grow into active community members that are willing to advocate for environmental justice, climate resilience, and a strong sense of community in their neighborhood.

What motivated you to join the organization in your role as EarthLab Education Director?
The opportunity to manage a 4-acre protected space and be an informal science educator prompted me to apply for the position. I knew I wanted to be an educator since I was in elementary school and since high school, I knew I wanted to be involved in environmental conservation. Though I studied marine habitats in college, the beauty of working within an organization dedicated to a watershed is the nature-based philosophy of “ridge to reef” and helping my community learn how land and sea are connected. Plus, I love taking youth to the ocean for summer camp!!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
How do you think about risk and what role has taking risks played in growing the organization?
We took a huge risk in our early years and signed onto a long-term lease of 4 acres of unimproved school property with a vision of creating a safe nature space to teach students and the community about the environment. This decision created our EarthLab Climate Action Center, a hands-on environmental education and demonstration site featuring sustainable agriculture, blue-green infrastructure, native plants, and renewable energy — designed to uplift community voices and build climate resilience from the ground up. Our education program annually reaches over 1,500 K-12 students and hundreds of community members inspiring them to advocate and take part in environmentally focused neighborhood infrastructure projects.

Who else deserves a Shout out in the success of the organization?
UCSD Center on Global Justice – our long-time partners who saw the value of EarthLab and designated it as a UCSD Community Station years ago. Having these close ties to a renowned university and the deep involvement of professors, staff and undergraduates as mentors to our students is invaluable to the success of our education program.

Website: https://GroundworkSanDiego.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundworksandiego/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GroundworkSD/

Image Credits
Groundwork San Diego