WHAT AN INTERNSHIP. Six teens who participated in the Green Teens program throughout the year at local recreation centers were selected for a paid internship this summer. The teens jumped into their first week of work to lead activities at KAB’s Camp Enviromania were they began cultivating their leadership skills. During the summer they discovered teaching can be a daunting and rewarding task as they co-led activities for the Playgrounds Program.

FIELD TRIPS TO BOOT. Green Teens headed out on a few fieldtrips of their own this summer to better understand the topics they were teaching about and to prepare themselves for leading activities on watersheds, litter, recycling and plants. A trip to a BFI recycling plant left teens in awe of the over 8 tons of recyclables that are sorted and bundled at this site. Afterwards teens visited Cycled Plastics to observe the next stage of the recycling process where plastic jugs are transformed into marketable plastic pellets. A tour of Ecology Action where teens learned first hand how to bail cardboard was a great comparison in the scale of the recycling plant.

The City of Austin’s Watershed Protection Department led Interns on a caving trip that not only provided a sneak preview of Austin’s watershed and aquifer system but served as a team building experience. Interns crawled through crevices leading to an open room in Whirlpool Cave where they sat in silence appreciating the karsts system of Austin.

FIELD-WORK. Fieldtrips were complimented with field-work. Green Teen interns helped maintain the Green Classroom where they planted an herb garden, mulched, weeded, and turned compost on a weekly basis. While interns understood the process of compost it wasn’t until they harvested and applied their first batch of compost that they lit up with excitement.

Interns also worked with PARD staff to collect seeds at Preserves and germinate the seeds in a greenhouse to keep Austin green. Interns survived the Texas heat and also helped trees and gardens survive by watering plants at Elementary and Middle Schools throughout Austin.

The Green Teen program survived its pilot year and with a 100% increase (pre/post-test comparison) in intern knowledge about composting and recycling is marked with success. 

Interns learn about recycling at the BFI recycling plant.

Green Teen interns lead activities at Playgrounds Program.