KAB provides resources and education to inspire individuals &
the Austin community toward greater environmental stewardship

Green Teens 2011 Interns

Meet the 2011 Green Teen Interns
At the beginning of June three amazing teens were awarded a Green Teens paid summer internship with KAB. Interns were selected based on their stellar attendance throughout the year at Green Teens afterschool activities and for the leadership skills they demonstrated throughout the year. This year there were too many amazing youth to choose from so KAB added a 4th internship. There is no rest for these dedicated students! School ended on June 1st and two days later interns reported for orientation.
 
Congratulations to our 2011 interns: Lesley, Traneecia, Stephanie, and Anita. We are very proud of these emerging environmental leaders. Click here to read more about each intern.
 
Interns Become Green Stewards Camp Leaders
During the summer a major component of the Green Teens internship is leading activities for younger youth at KAB’s Green Stewards Camp. While nervous at first these young ladies proved they were ready to take on a leadership role. The first week of “work” interns jumped right in to lead activities including guiding students on a hike and cleanup of Bouldin Creek, and leading a full morning of gardening activities.  For 7 hot weeks interns led a 2-day camp to educate 137 youth!
 
  
 
Stephanie Valdez was a natural at relating to the campers and showing them how to turn compost and the best spots to find bugs. Traneecia Hart guided campers to find details and patterns in the garden. Lesley Cordova had infectious energy and enthusiasm for any activity she was leading. And Anita demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge of all garden topics and patience while teaching. Beyond teaching in their small groups during garden rotations, the teen interns contributed to large group presentations too. After the first week of camp, the interns introducd a morning name game waking up and energizing the campers. On the very last week of camp, with tomato plants appearing tired and dry, the interns skipped salsa making and created a brand new activity, which was a huge hit with the campers. Upon completion of the internship, the interns prided themselves on connecting with the campers, realizing they had taught the campers about the importance of creeks and wildlife, and had kept the garden growing in a record setting drought summer.
 
Young Professionals in the Making
In addition to being leaders at the Green Classroom, our interns excelled during several other presentations about the internship. Between the bustle of summer camp, one of the teens and Emily, KAB’s Environmental Educator hopped over to a KAB Board meeting to present on camp. Without more than a few hours notice, our youngest intern Leslie led an inspiring and thorough presentation that featured personal anecdotes, described skills she had gained and friendships she had formed with the young campers and other interns, and brought camp to life by describing her teaching experiences. Though understandably nervous, she rose to the challenge like a leader and did a wonderful job. All the interns were put to the test when 17 adults from the Keep Texas Beautiful network arrived to catch a glimpse of camp. The interns rose to the occasion leading a mini-camp for the adults and standing up in front of the group to share their Green Teens accomplishments.
 
Fieldtrip Fun and Learning
Throughout the summer interns embarked on fieldtrips to continue gaining an in-depth understanding of environmental concepts. They visited Urban Roots farm where they harvested fresh produce, Texas Disposal Systems' landfill to explore new recycling systems, and the Splash! exhibit at Barton Springs that provides an overview of Austin’s underground water system. As an end of summer treat and thank you for their hard work, the interns visited Lush Handmade Cosmetics where they were educated about Lush's sustainable production practices and pampered with samples of Lush products.