This summer has been a busy one for participants of our Teen Urban Tree Corps program! In addition to watering street trees across Dorchester (often in sweltering temperatures) the teens have gone on a number of exciting field trips across the city and beyond. We are grateful to all of our hosts for taking the time to teach us something new this summer.

Greater Boston Field trips have included: 

• A visit to Franklin Park, where we helped remove invasive species
• An insightful tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery, where we learned about champion trees, explored the greenhouses, and enjoyed city views from the top of Washington Tower
• A  tour of the  Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, where outdoor educator Ana Maria  Caballero showed us the composting facility, followed by an afternoon of observing insects
• A visit to Harambee Park in Dorchester, for weeding and watering and a discussion about the disparities between community parks and high-profile spaces, such as the Boston Common 

We also visited Harvard Forest in Petersham. After a hike and stunning views from the top of their research tower, we enjoyed learning about the history of land use at the site.

The TUTC teens have also had the opportunity to share their work with other local youth groups, including Artists for Humanity and Girls LEAP. A few of our teens even had a chance to represent the TUTC program at the 7uice Foundation symposium, hosted by founder and Celtics star Jaylen Brown. The mission of the 7uice Foundation is to bridge the opportunity gap for youth in traditionally underserved Black and Brown communities. Our teens did a wonderful job showing off the great work that the TUTC team is doing this summer.

The summer has flown by, and we are enjoying our final week together with this wonderful cohort.