The Green Team
Teens Help Shade the City
In 2022, we developed a program to recruit 10-12 teenagers who were rising 9th - 12th graders to participate in a two-week training program about the value of trees, the impacts of climate change, tree maintenance and tree planting. In the fall, these teens also helped us canvas and plant trees.
Having proven successful, we repeated this program in summer 2023 and 2024, growing it by 50% to 15 teenagers. In 2026 we will expand to two summer sessions, one for rising 9-10th graders and the other for rising 11-12 graders and returning Green Team members.
Our summer sessions include exciting activities such as:
• Hiking the beautiful Ragged Mountain Reservoir
• Learning to climb and take care of trees like arborists
• Enhancing team building skills at the UVA Ropes course
• Rafting the Rivanna River
• Learning about the ancient practice of herbal medicine
• Camping out or overnighting in Bath County along the Cowpasture River
