Zion Bell, Zharia Bowles, & Treasure Harris clearing weeds to preserve the historic Tabby slave cabins on Kingsley Plantation.
Once again this summer, the Groundwork Jacksonville Green Team Youth Corps has been busy improving their neighborhood, learning new skills and becoming stewards of their environment. The teens have worked hard along the S-Line portion of the Emerald Trail, cleaning up trash, building a flagstone path and planting a pollinator garden. They also helped lime wash historic Tabby slave cabins at Kingsley Plantation and did trail maintenance on Exchange Club Island, located in the St. Johns River under the Mathews Bridge.
The Corps also had the opportunity to meet many interesting people while they learned about local history, STEAM careers, financial wellness, job seeking, resumes and interviewing, entrepreneurship, advocacy, landscape design, aquaponics and more. The program offered plenty of fun activities too like taking a boat ride, yoga, archery and kayaking.
According to Treasure Harris, a three-year Green Team veteran who enters 10th grade at Wolfson High School this year, her favorite part of the program is the people. “I have met so many people who have been very generous with their time and knowledge. They have really made an impact on me,” she said.
Although she originally wanted to become a chef, the program has her thinking about a different career path: psychology. She added, “Green Team has helped me to be more open to taking a leadership role. Some of the team members come to me for advice and I found that I really like being able to help people.”
James Miller and Kanye Tompkins clearing the trash dam along the Payne Ave section of the S-Line.
While the 2019 Summer Apprenticeship has concluded, several of the youth continue to be involved in Green Team as year-round Fellows. Special thanks to our Green Team sponsors, Kids Hope Alliance, a generous community supporter, Lucky’s Market Oakleaf and TD Arbor Day Foundation.
Congratulations to the 2019 Green Team Youth Corps:
Bertram Alford, grade 9 – Paxon School for Advanced Studies
Bertrise Alford, grade 10 – Paxon School for Advanced Studies
Shelly Banks, grade 10 – Robert E. Lee
Zion Bell, grade 10 – Andrew Jackson
Zharia Bowles, grade 10 – Robert E. Lee
Cedrick Burton, grade 11 – Robert E. Lee
Isaac Edwards, grade 9 – Robert E Lee
Dinah Frazier, grade 10 – Edward White High School
Jayden Glover, grade 8 – GRASP Academy
Treasure Harris, grade 10 – Samuel W. Wolfson
Ella Humphries, grade 11- Stanton College Prep
Coleson Marchy, grade 8 – Julia Landon College Prep
James Miller, grade 9 – Andrew Jackson
Unity Morgan, grade 10 – PACE Center for Girls
George Peterson, grade 9 – Robert E. Lee
Tatiyana Peterson, grade 11 – Robert E. Lee
Kenard Robinson, grade 11 – Jean Ribault High School
Josiah Stroman, grade 11 – William M. Raines High School
Kanye Tompkins, grade 8 – Northwestern Middle
Ariel Tompkins, grade 9 – Jean Ribault High School
Adonis Turner, grade 8 – Guardian Catholic School
Lavar Wright, grade 12 – Moved out of state
