Editor’s note: This is part of a series of collaborations with Las Fotos Project, an Eastside-based organization that inspires teenage girls through photography, mentorship, and self-expression.
‘Con Safos’ is a visual documentation project in which members of Las Fotos Project’s Digital Promotoras program use photojournalism and multimedia techniques to promote awareness of disparities and stigmas facing their communities. These stories address key issues such as gentrification, access to green spaces, security, physical wellbeing, and punitive school measures.
See other stories and read about the Con Safos project here.
My project focuses on the importance of green space and why Los Angeles needs more of it.
Green space is important for children because it helps them develop healthy bodies, strong minds and gain confidence, since it allows them to be more social. It is also a place where lots of family bonding happens and new friendships are created. Studies have shown that children who are surrounded by green space have a 55% better chance to not develop any mental disorder as an adult.
Children get their cardio exercise done when they are at the park, because they are running around non-stop, playing all day long instead of just being at home sitting on the couch using electronics, while no movement is getting done. When children don’t do any exercise, it can lead to obesity.
Green space is not only beneficial for children, but for adults too. Adults tend to get stress more than children, and being surrounded by at least a bit of nature can help them distress.
Los Angeles is short on green space and, as it keeps growing, the less green space there is. This is especially true in low-income areas, like my community of East LA and Boyle Heights. We are already lacking in green space and not much is being done about it. In my community lots of apartments are being built.
Take a look at this story on its Spark page.
