Green Teen Community Gardening

The Green Teen program empowers urban youth to be effective community change-agents by immersing them in the local food system. This youth development program teaches life and work skills through hands-on experiences in farming and gardening, health and nutrition, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

We are best known for our paid youth programs where we hire teenagers to grow food in the Green Teen Gardens, distribute the food with Common Ground Farm through our Free Farm Stand, “Common Greens.” We hire for this program three times a year- Spring, Summer and Fall. Applications are released on our Facebook page in February, May and September.

In 2022, we piloted our new Club Green Teen Program, aimed at serving participants in 7^th and 8^th grade. Club Green Teen allows youth below the working age of 14 to participate in leadership and educational opportunities provided through the Green Teen program. Additionally, Club Green Teen hires two youth to assist with facilitating and managing the Club activities, providing the youth with opportunities to obtain employment skills and leadership experience.

Program Activities

In the past year, the Green Teen program provided Beacon teens with vocational training, education related to the food system, and a wide range of life-enhancing opportunities.

• Planted, harvested, and maintained 2 urban gardens;
• Our Free Farm Stand donated over 1,200 pounds of produce to the community;
• Held space for Community Circles every week to have safe and open discussions about oppression in the U.S., consent, race, family, and communication;
• Visited Common Ground Farm to help the farmers plant garlic and expose the Green Teens to their local farm;
• Attended workshops in CPR / First Aid, NARCAN, financial literacy, resume writing, and Not A Number (human trafficking prevention)
• Worked with the City of Beacon to build, grow and tend to 3 pollinator patches on City of Beacon property.
• Held workshops on nutrition, including hands on cooking activities utilizing produce from our gardens

Follow the Green Teen Program on social media:

Green Teen Poughkeepsie

Green Teen Beacon

Last updated June 24, 2025