Ma’at (my-OT) is the Egyptian goddess of justice and truth. The Ma’at Youth Academy, founded and directed by lifelong Richmond resident Sharon Fuller, seeks to improve all ecological relationships, including those between humanity and nature, as well as between people. Cultural differences are embraced and honored as we promote the preservation and conservation of vital natural resources.
MYA was founded in 1994 to use knowledge of the community’s environmental assets and problems as a means to give urban youth a sense of their potentialities, entitlements and capacities as community members. MYA brings into the public school system a program of environmental science and experiential education that helps students identify, explain and act upon barriers to their access to clean air, water and soil; public spaces; safe and livable conditions; good health care and educational opportunity and to better jobs often tied to restorative activities.
MYA uses an environmental justice definition of environment, such that parks and creeks as well as residential urban neighborhoods are tightly linked environmental sites in which to study and act. MYA’s approach to education combines classroom learning with field research, with clear results—attendance doubles in MYA-led classes.