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| Teens transfer soil from a pile to the side panels of the Southern University Ag Center's fountain as part of the Love Our Community Summer Youth Employment Program on June 22. |
Baton Rouge, LA – Many teens are spending the official second
day of summer, June 22, sleeping late or enjoying a family vacation, but a
group of teens from East Baton Rouge Parish spent their morning shoveling soil
to make a flower bed at the Southern University Ag Center.
The teens are participating in the Office of Mayor-President
Kip Holden’s, ‘Love Our Community Summer Youth Employment Program,’ which
employs some 500 youth aged 14 -17 from throughout the parish.
Southern University Ag Center Extension Associate Stephanie Elwood
and Senior Research Associate Mila Berhane have partnered with the 4-week program
to provide technical assistance for the group’s activities.
On this day, the group planted flowers in the side panels of
the Southern University Ag Center’s fountain.
The youth employment program provides youth with an
opportunity to gain environmental and neighborhood revitalization work
experience by painting murals and creating community gardens throughout the
city to fight blight. The teens also participant in various environmental
stewardship projects.
To qualify for the program, teens must commit to working no
more than 20 hours per week in an outdoor environment; be a team player and
work collaboratively in a group to plan and execute a community service project
that impacts their community; and be enrolled in a school and live in East
Baton Rouge Parish.
For information about the Love Our Community Summer Youth Employment
Program, contact Kia Bickham at 225-389-3100 or via e-mail at Kbickham@brgov.com.
For information about the Southern University Ag Center’s
horticultural programs and events, contact the Ag Center at 225-771-2242 or
visit our website at www.suagcenter.com.
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