print     e-mail    go back

Connecting Teens With Nature

Allens Pond Sanctuary Director Gina Purtell and Green Brigade youth work together on trail maintenance

SOUTH DARTMOUTH, Mass.—The world recently got bigger for 36 New Bedford teenagers. The youths spent their summer participating in a jobs program that taught them important job-readiness skills and how to care for the environment, thanks to a partnership between NorthStar Learning Centers, a New Bedford-based minority nonprofit organization, and Mass Audubon's Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary in South Dartmouth. Over a seven-week period, these members of the Green Brigade divided their time providing stewardship at Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary and creating the Sacred Green Space and the State Street Community Garden from vacant lots in New Bedford low-income neighborhoods. 

Funding for the program came from the federal government's stimulus money through a grant awarded to NorthStar Learning Centers and PAACA, another New Bedford youth-serving agency. "The green approach is what interested us in funding this project," said Jean C. Fox of the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board.

"At-risk youth are not normally exposed to information on conservation; they typically require other support and they are not given the same kinds of opportunities as other young adults," she continued. "These young people now have a greater understanding of sustainability, conservation, and community service. They will reap the benefits for years to come and I am confident that they will be extremely appreciative of the people who worked with them to develop the skills they will need to be successful in the workplace and ultimately, earn a living wage."

The youths worked 25 hours per week, earning $8 per hour. At Allens Pond, they worked alongside NorthStar and Mass Audubon staff and volunteers on various trail maintenance projects, including installing boardwalks and steppingstones, and removing over 300 pounds of the invasive plants brown knapweed and Canada thistle (taken to Covanta SEMASS in West Wareham to be reprocessed and used as a source for electricity). The teens also planted donated cana lilies, salvia, yarrow and other flowers in the sanctuary's butterfly garden, and built bluebird boxes, among other tasks.

The hands-on work was complemented by environmental education. One Mass Audubon volunteer, a retired teacher, gave the youths a lesson in freshwater insects while working with the teens to weed and expand a butterfly garden. Another volunteer explained the value of composting while working with them to dig and install a French drain to collect and move rainwater away from the Mass Audubon field station.

Although grateful to receive the help, Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary Director Gina Purtell noted that the work program had a greater purpose. "This project was a first step to help acquaint these young adults with outdoor life, nature, and ecology science, and we planted the seed to encourage them to have a sense of belonging in nature," she said. "For our part, we need urban youth of different cultures to be part of the conservation equation here to build a core group of adults who will come back with their children to help sustain Allens Pond over time. Sometimes the teens were challenging but I really appreciated having the opportunity to get to know them better. Given additional time, it would really open up more conservation competency and help to bridge cultural divides."

Jason Perry, a NorthStar case manager who works with court-involved youth, said "It's gotten all of us out of our comfort zone. The youth we're serving come from low-income families and I think historically the people who take advantage of what Mass Audubon has to offer are typically middle- and upper class; so it's been a mutual learning experience and helped to break down stereotypes." 

According to NorthStar Executive Director Maria Rosario, the staff at Mass Audubon genuinely cared about the project and youth participants, who in turn were very astute judges of that authenticity.

"Gina and her staff and volunteers taught our young people to be ecologically sensitive and, whether through learning about water quality or protecting certain bird populations, the youths got a glimpse of the possibility of participating in the green economy and a reason for them to stay in school and expand their horizons."

Also, importantly, Rosario adds, "The Green Brigade participants came to feel a sense of ownership and connection to an important natural resources area that had previously been psychologically off-limits. And, our youths have learned to appreciate, value, and protect their local environment and working at Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary helped create a bridge for that work. I hope that this project is only the beginning of a continuing, evolving relationship between NorthStar and Mass Audubon."

The admiration is mutual. Laura Johnson, president of Mass Audubon, said, "we really appreciated the opportunity to work with NorthStar and we applaud them for recognizing the importance of connecting urban teens with the environment. We hope to continue to partner with NorthStar in the future as we all realize the benefits of working together, especially to reach urban and diverse populations. We all have so much to learn from each other."

In New Bedford, the teens transformed a vacant lot with knee-high grass and litter into the Sacred Green Space, a welcoming green oasis for their community, complete with a cobblestone path, trees, shrubs, and flowers. The Sacred Green Space will be the home of the Spiritual Warrior Society, an intergenerational leadership development initiative to promote peace in a high-violence neighborhood.

On State Street, with generous assistance from the City of New Bedford, the teens developed a community garden in which they are growing vegetables and flowers in raised beds.

Ebony Silva, a NorthStar youth and family specialist, said these three work experiences have made participating youth more conscious about their role in saving the environment and given them a sense of accomplishment and purpose. "I saw young people who initially had a lot of resistance and needed constant redirection turn around to staying on task and focused," he said.

Silva added that he personally learned a lot about wildlife and plants and would like to take youth on field trips to the Mass Audubon sanctuary. "I've really enjoyed working with the staff at Allens Pond and have already returned on my own time. Without a doubt, I'd like to see the program continue."

As for the Green Brigade members themselves, one 15-year-old participant wrote, "When I first went to Allens Pond, I didn't know what I was going to do, but over time, I gained experience in how to preserve the life of wild animals. The people at Mass Audubon opened up my eyes to what great animals we have on this earth, and they also taught me how to recycle and keep my environment clean."

###

Mass Audubon works to protect the nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife. Together with more than 100,000 members, we care for 34,000 acres of conservation land, provide educational programs for 200,000 children and adults annually, and advocate for sound environmental policies at local, state, and federal levels. Mass Audubon's mission and actions have expanded since our beginning in 1896 when our founders set out to stop the slaughter of birds for use on women's fashions. Today we are the largest conservation organization in New England. Our statewide network of 47 wildlife sanctuaries welcomes visitors of all ages and serves as the base for our conservation, education, and advocacy work. To support these important efforts, call 800-AUDUBON (283-8266) or visit www.massaudubon.org.