The work we do in Fairhill has always been rooted in the power of partnerships and the strength & talents of our neighbors. This year’s Summer Youth Internship was a resounding success, marked by innovation, empowerment, and engagement. It was an especially exciting summer because we were able to connect our kids with even more community partners.
Co-led by our Green Space & Literacy Directors, Tito and Martina, nine young teens spent two days a week with us at the grounds learning about gardening, leadership, and community building. The internship covered diverse topics, including electroculture, composting, the site’s history, and tree idenitification. Literacy-based activities were infused into the program, building off of last year’s reading of the young adult version of Braiding Sweetgrass. This year, interns started each morning by reading articles and having discussions about local farms and young environmental activists.
We had visits from the Philadelphia Orchard Project to learn how to make ice cream using garden ingredients and interns traveled to The Vetri Teaching Kitchen to learn cooking skills utilizing vegetables growing in our gardens. They also spent a day working alongside the garden staff at Urban Creators and another day making indigo dye with our friends at the Village of Arts & Humanities.
Our newest partner, The Food Trust, enriched the program with workshops on pickling, seed anatomy, and the use of garden produce, including making peach salsa, lettuce wraps, and pizza. The interns also experienced The Food Trusts’s farmer’s market to learn more about the farm to market process, leading to conversations around retailing produce and how much earnings a given plant can yield.
At the end of the summer, all of our teens reported that they felt happy, safe, confident, and valued while at the grounds. They elso expressed gratitude for the friendships they have been able to make. As Tito shared with them on their final day, the thought that goes into the trips and activities are more than the fun and education they bring; it is ultimately about ways to build connections with one another and with the world around them.
We are so proud to be working alongside these young people and have been thrilled to see their love of the grounds, gardening, and community growing. This fall we look forward to once again extending this work into the school year, as they join us on Saturdays for more learning and fun.
