Ventura Charter School of Arts and Global Education, an elementary through middle school, held its annual EcoFest on April 26, 2026. Eco Fest has been VCS’s main fundraiser since 2007, and is meant to embody the principles they promote, including community involvement and empathy. Located behind DeAnza Middle School, the charter school hosted 33 vendors and exhibitors who focus on environmental education and activism, as well as showcasing local musicians and dancers.

“Part of our mission is any of our fundraising isn’t just to fundraise for ourselves, but to fundraise in a way that gives back to the community,” Lisa Hildebrand, the director of Ventura Charter School, said.

Angel Golis, a representative for the Sierra Club, a booth at EcoFest, said the event “helps exhibitors to connect with each other and form coalitions with each other,” acting as a catalyst for community connection.

Not only does EcoFest support local businesses and non-profits, but it also provides a wealth of educational opportunities for attendees, with a healthy amount of experts in the field of environmentalism. These include the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, the Surfrider Foundation, CFROG and others.

Hildebrand explained that EcoFest is meant to focus on families and their children. As a charter school, the event is put on and staffed by parent volunteers; the school mainly profits from a silent auction that is stocked with gifts from sponsors, but more importantly, artwork created by the students themselves.

The second-grade class set up a booth at the event, selling plants they had grown from seed. These students have been learning about plants and pollinators during the past school year and hope that the plants they sell will find gardens, assisting the bees and butterflies on their important mission.

“When we start kids young, being part of their environment and their community, it makes them want to give back … and I think it makes us feel more connected. On a deeper level, I think it makes us more empathetic people,” Rachel Miljivic, the second-grade teacher, said.

Miljivic explained that empathy is a big part of VCS’s mission, and EcoFest “is a really important chance for us to get all of these local people together and our school community to interact outside a school setting.” Having a public event with all types of people coming in and out, centered around kids and VCS, is a great way to promote their mission of empathy.

Children are encouraged to visit the various booths through a passport system — when a child enters the event, they are given a “passport” that they must get stamped by the booths.

“It’s a really great way to introduce little ones to all these great vendors that are doing really good work in the community and supporting a resilient future,” Carrie Drevenstedt, a representative for the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, said.EcoFest transferred from Mission Park to the VCS campus in 2023 after a three-year break due to COVID-19. However, despite initial concerns regarding visibility, this event has really blossomed in recent years.

“Every year it gets a little bit better, and every year we have a few more people join us and help us get through it,” Amanda Kelley, co-chair of EcoFest and a parent at VCS, said. “[Vendors] keep coming back because it’s a great event and everybody enjoys being together … The stage is great … it just keeps growing into a more traditional celebration of the people we are and what we stand for.”