<\/span><\/p>\n Patrick noticed that many of the children from refugee and immigrant families at his church did not have the opportunity to spend time in nature. Knowing how beneficial that time is for children\u2019s mental and physical wellbeing, he sought to change this by organizing a field trip to the Atlanta botanical gardens for the children and their parents. Afterwards, he recalls overwhelmingly positive feedback from the families. \u201cOf course I would love to do the same every week but I didn’t have the resources to do something like that every week. I didn\u2019t have the money, even the church didn\u2019t have the money.\u201d Despite the financial limitations, he persisted because he felt it was important to find a way to help the kids discover and learn from nature.<\/span><\/p>\n He started researching nature access in Georgia and the United States and realized that, although wealthier neighborhoods often have well maintained green spaces, underserved communities like refugees and immigrants have access to fewer natural spaces. After discovering this environmental injustice, Patrick felt that he needed to take action \u2014 \u201cMaybe this is something I have to advocate for.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With limited funding for transportation, he sought to continue this environmental education through mediums easily accessible to children: books, crafts, and board games. When his friend sent him a link to The Pollination Project\u2019s Daily Grant, he was hesitant to apply. Looking back, he remembers thinking \u201cI\u2019m not a grant writer.\u201d Fortunately, after reading about TPP\u2019s mission to fund startup projects and support new changemakers, he felt confident enough to apply. Recalling when he received his grant, Patrick says, \u201cI was very happy. I was like \u2018okay that\u2019s a good start!\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This positivity and vision continues to shine through in his work. Currently, he\u2019s working on establishing a nonprofit so he can expand his activities, programs, and reach. \u201cMy dream is to make sure that every kid in Clarkston, in Georgia, in refugee and immigrant communities \u2014 regardless of skin color or financial background \u2014 has access to nature.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Although all of his activities have an educational aspect\u2014teaching kids about conservation and building a healthy relationship with nature\u2014Patrick finds that his work is ultimately about joy. When asked about the impact of the activities he organizes, he explained, \u201cYou know those kids experienced some hardship when they were back home. That\u2019s why they came here: to find a more peaceful life. Stories are a very powerful tool to bring back hope, somehow, especially for kids. Storytelling is a good way to plant this seed in them so they can dream again, they can hope again, they can live like any normal kid. It\u2019s all about happiness somehow, even if at the same time you are trying to educate them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][el_dynamic_masonry_gallery number_of_images=”7″ gallery_order_by=”rand” include_categories=”199″ number_of_columns=”3″ enable_lightbox=”on” _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/el_dynamic_masonry_gallery][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][el_dynamic_masonry_gallery number_of_images=”7″ gallery_order_by=”rand” include_categories=”199″ number_of_columns=”3″ enable_lightbox=”on” _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/el_dynamic_masonry_gallery][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Patrick Kasele never expected to work in environmental education. After realizing that his work in corporate communications was not fulfilling his desire to help the community, he quit his job to pursue his passion for sharing and protecting the natural world. \u201cNature is the place I get really inspired,\u201d says Patrick. In Congo, his home […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1011,"featured_media":71923,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thepollinationproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/002-200x300.jpg\")
In Congo, his home country, Patrick got his masters degree, worked in conservation education, and started a nonprofit before coming to the U.S. in 2017. Though he knew very little English when he first moved to Georgia in the southern United States, he found a way to put down roots by connecting with the local refugee and immigrant population in Clarkston, GA.<\/span><\/p>\n