Green Team

This year's Green Team is focusing on several garden building projects throughout the community. We are strengthening the youth's ability to brainstorm solutions and manage projects on their own. We are doing this by training the youth to create to-scale landscape maps. They are also developing their public speaking skills in order to professionally communicate a landscape overhaul for the moving company Gentle Giant. They will present the map, a version of the green space that they created (which accommodates the needs and requirements of our client), and a materials budget before building the space themselves.

In addition to the Gentle Giant project, Green Team will also serve as youth leaders during our community wide volunteer day 'Comcast Cares Day'. On April 26th, 2014, we will ban together to build an extension to South Street Farm, Somerville's first urban farm. The expansion will provide an additional 3000 sq. ft. of growing space, all of which will be farmed, harvested, and sold by the youth to low-income mobile markets during the summer months. The youth will also build a green house on the farm to jumpstart our growing season next year, while also providing additional space for tool storage. Funds for this project will be used to buy seeds, amendments, tools, and support youth salaries!

In addition to the garden projects, the youth are developing the Green Team brand. They are doing this by creating logos and images to screen print onto tote bags and tshirts to sell at the farmer's markets during the summer. This collaborative art project empowers the youth to create their own work of art, to teach themselves the process of screen printing, to encourage the disuse of plastic bags at the farmer's markets, to strengthen the visability of 'The Green Team' in Somerville, and to sell their product at an affordable price to customers. All of these projects are aimed to develop the technical skills one would need to conduct their own business, develop and manage a project, and strengthen their abilities to work collaboratively and independently for a common vision.