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Now Available! "​A richly illustrated, essential guide to engaging children and youth
in the planning and design of inclusive, sustainable cities" from New Village Press.  
​Placemaking with Children and Youth
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ENSTU 350 Students completed two research reports to support the Living Community Challenge at CSUMB
View them here: Beauty/Spirit Petal and Materials Petal or on the Engagement Lab page.

The 2017-2018 Final Report for Environmental Literacy with North Monterey County High School and Elkhorn Slough Foundation is out! - View it here or on the Engagement Lab page.

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I am an Assistant Professor at California State University Monterey Bay, where I focus on environmental education and healthy and sustainable communities, primarily through The Engagement Lab.  For more than 20 years, I have engaged children, youth and communities in participatory research in both rural and urban settings with diverse populations, including tribal communities of the Southwest, Spanish land grant communities, and recent immigrants.  From 2012-2016, I was the faculty coordinator for Growing Up Boulder at the University of Colorado, where I facilitated children and youth participation in design and planning of child-friendly cities, including parks, open space, transportation, resiliency, and neighborhood projects.  Prior to that I ran Crane Collaborations, which focused on youth engagement, environmental education, and community forestry in New Mexican communities. My recent research has focused on children, nature, and resilience in the U.S. and Mexico. Current research focuses on fostering cultural inclusion through arts and greenspace planning.

I have also been a professional textile artist, and will travel anywhere there are beautiful textiles, nature and culture intertwined.  You can contact me at vderr at csumb.edu