Youth ages 14-19 | 9-month program: Spring, Summer, Fall
ReGen Teens employs teenagers as community gardeners, creative entrepreneurs, and environmental justice builders. This a paid employment opportunity that prioritizes youth ages 14-19 who are interested in building independent work skills and experience with a focus on food and environmental justice and the natural world.
Teen staff collaborate as a team to run money-making businesses (sign up for our compost business here!) that uplift environmental justice and community connections! ReGen work sessions are a mix of hands-on activities in food production, urban agriculture, nature appreciation, cooking, art creation, and regenerative business creation at Kite’s Nest’s greenhouse and gardens. ReGen teens deepen their land stewardship skills by visiting local farms, meeting other teens engaged in food justice initiatives around the Hudson Valley, and hosting community educational work days at the Kite’s Nest community garden.
Key themes and areas of focus for our ReGen Teens are food sovereignty, garden maintenance (including developing skills in cooking, canning, and preserving) and understanding of garden biology, the creation of youth-led businesses, and the connection to the land through plant medicine and collective healing. The teens have engaged in deep learning about regenerative agriculture, green technologies, organic waste, zero waste systems, soil science + remediation, cooperative business planning, and environmental justice.
Our long-term goal is to build leadership capacity within the communities most impacted by food insecurity, centering young people as change-makers, food producers, and educators.
