Roots in Action: How Greenwich Youth Are Growing a Greener Future

By Michael R. DeLuca

 

On a warm summer day, with few clouds in sight and a high of 79° the Greenwich Youth Conservation Program celebrated the youth of Greenwich’s hard work aiding nature, dedication to growing trees, and serving the local community of Greenwich.

Participants in the program engage in a wide range of conservation activities, including restoring native habitats, maintaining trails, and supporting Tod’s Point.

Their work not only strengthens the health of Greenwich’s ecosystems but also reinforces the importance of civic responsibility, teamwork, and environmental education.

Speeches, acknowledgments, and shared stories marked Tuesday event at Tod’s point, highlighting the impact these students have made, not just in the soil they’ve turned, but in the values they’ve cultivated.

Christina Nappi, the Greenwich Youth Conservation Program Administrator for the Town of Greenwich Dept of Human Services, spoke about how these Greenwich teens have demonstrated exceptional dedication, responsibility and heart throughout their time in the program.

She emphasized how their efforts have not only enhanced the Town’s natural spaces, but also fostered a sense of leadership, teamwork, and civic pride among participants.

“The program has been operating for 47 years. This is a collaborative effort to have the teens work in the summer,” Nappi said, adding that each session is two weeks long and there are 28 teens per session.

Ms Nappi explained that participating Greenwich teens spend their mornings working on Town properties, which could mean planting trees, mulching or cleaning up after a storm. In the afternoons, educational guest speakers talk about a variety of different human service topics and conservation.

Participating teenagers are 14 and 15 years old and come from all different middle schools, high schools, and private schools in Greenwich.

The Youth Conservation Program also benefits from a partnership with the Greenwich Land Trust.

“Students can apply to that program and can spend a longer time working out in nature with conservation programs in addition to providing supervisors to work with these teenagers, like harvesting vegetables, and bringing them to Neighbor to Neighbor, who run the local food pantry,” Nappi said. “This great partnership leads them to many new opportunities. They also assist with work on school grounds just before Greenwich students go back to school in the fall.”

Nappi said through the program, students get the full feel of working a job, doors open to volunteer opportunities, and the program serves as future reference for careers later on in their lives.

“We have a job coach, who comes in and speaks with the teens about resume building and finding a career path,” she added.

Best yet, the program is a great opportunity for the youth of Greenwich to make friends, socialize, bond with others through service to the community while being in the great outdoors with nature.

As they plant trees, restore habitats and care for local parks, they’re not only shaping the landscape of Greenwich, they’re shaping themselves.

As the teens learn to appreciate the nature around them they are giving back to the Town. In every trail cleared and garden tended, these young individuals are growing stronger roots in their community and laying the foundation for a greener, more connected future.