Fourteen Delaware youth received more than just paychecks by participating in the 2017 Green Jobs Program a multi-organization partnership coordinated by the University of Delawares Water Resources Agency this summer.
As part of the summer youth employment program, 14 students from middle schools and high schools across Wilmington immersed themselves in a summer of hands-on outdoor environmental work and career exploration that will benefit both the students future and the states ecosystem.The Green Jobs Program is an employment program for Wilmington residents specifically tailored to the citys youth that gives participants the chance to work 25 hours a week at different sites throughout the area as interns. As its title suggests, those selected for the program are tasked with helping the environment by revitalizing parks, planting gardens, removing invasive plant life and more.
Those selected for the Green Jobs Program benefit both the city and the state by aiding green jobs employees, creating eco-conscious citizens and boosting the environmental maintenance and appeal of neighborhoods and parks, a proven method in reducing crime. Not only does this unique youth employment opportunity provide a benefit for the environment, but it also pays off for the students involved, who learn important job skills and connect with adult mentors, potential future employers, and key players in protecting Delawares environment.Started as a collaboration between the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the City of Wilmington, and the University of Delawares Water Resources Agency (WRA), part of the schools Institute for Public Administrations Water Resources Center, the Green Jobs Program was founded in an effort to create a youth employment program with an environmental and water resources focus.
"The City of Wilmingtons head of Parks and Recreation and I worked together through the citys existing Summer Youth Employment Program to develop the program and it has grown ever since, said WRA Policy Scientist Martha Narvaez.
From July into August, the Green Jobs Programs interns traveled across the state to gain a well-rounded understanding of the environment and the jobs that support it. At Delaware State University, the students participated in three days worth of interactive agriculture seminars. Guided by The Nature Conservancy, participants learned how to monitor water quality and assess water stream health, both important in protecting waterways from dangerous contamination and pollution. At UDs Webb Farm, program interns learned about the schools chickens, cows, goats, and bees. By the end of the six-week program, the 14 interns had learned about and worked in roles relating to agriculture, horticulture, aquatic ecosystems and keeping the community and environment safe and clean.
I wasnt an outdoors person until I got started, said 2017 Green Jobs Program intern Imani Douglas. But now I am, and I couldnt have enjoyed the program more.