Greedy Teens…or Green Teens?
By Mary Dudley, CGC Ecology Education Manager, and Kaela Khan, CGC Program Associate
What comes to mind when you hear the word “teenager”?
At first you may recall some awkward moments you experienced in your adolescence. Then you may smirk involuntarily as you remember some of the daring outfits you tried and possibly some mischief you managed under the watchful eye of the adults in your life.
While the thought of “contribution” may not be the first word you associate with teenagers, we (Mary & Kaela, your CGC Green Teens team) would like to see if we can change that perception as we share some of our experiences with you. Through our work, we have been shown how patient, gracious and grateful young people can be. The teen who seems constantly glued to a mobile device or creates the loudest noise or makes the worst headlines gives an unfair view of this group of doers and makers.
Our Green Teens Participants
What do we see when we go into schools to work with the amazing teachers who are integrating Green Teens Challenges into their daily curriculum? We are welcomed by students who meet us as strangers but quickly share their smiles and stories, inviting us into their lives by discussing their favorite seasonal recipes, sharing where they find local food for family meals and telling us about their passion for improving access to healthy ingredients in their neighborhoods. We are struck by their optimism to change the injustices of food deserts, pollution and poor living standards in the city.
The Green Teens Challenge currently includes 11 participating schools and one homeschool group. So far in 2023, we’ve enjoyed over 1,000 touch points with students during our monthly school visits. The students we meet are are diverse in terms of demographics, school funding, access to resources, specialties, and more.
December Is for Acts of Kindness
When we were creating the Green Teens Challenge, we assigned each month a theme that reflects Cincinnati’s local seasonality and regional happenings. Throughout the school year, we visit each of the participating schools monthly to launch the theme, talk to the students about the challenges and reflect on how the previous month’s work went. We also bring along resources to help students get started on their projects.
December’s theme is “Acts of Kindness,” which includes two challenges the students can participate in: Natural Gifts and the Give Back Event. Teacher and student burnout seems fairly universal at this time of year. The long winter break is on the horizon, the new year promises a fresh start, and it is easy to get caught in only looking ahead and ignoring the current moment. We hope December’s challenges will help our participants pause and appreciate the current season, collaborating with each other and supporting their communities as they do so.
To both show our appreciation and give the students an example of what they could use to create Natural Gifts and how to execute a Give Back Event, we (Mary & Kaela) are participating in December’s challenges as well! We spent a couple of afternoons gathering vines, acorns, flower heads, feathers, leaves, seed balls and other treasures from around the garden, then used them to weave and decorate a wreath for each participating teacher. We will deliver these natural gifts as we give back to those who contribute so much to our lives and to the development of the teens in their classrooms. Each wreath will be accompanied by a card decorated with leaf rubbings, a personal handwritten note and a packet of native seeds.
Are you up for the challenge?
What can you contribute to the teens in your life? While they may sometimes seem to be on another planet entirely, we all share common ground. This season, we challenge you to make a connection, learn something new from a young person and give them opportunities to contribute their time and talents. Without what they have to offer, our future would be quite bleak indeed!