Junior Green Corps students contribute to Homewood’s transformation

Earlier this summer, Junior Green Corps students at Baxter Park in Homewood tended to the area’s trees and plants, armed with fertilizer, water and mulch. They also looked for signs of damage, such as drooping leaves or changes in bark color, which could indicate a tree needs extra support.

The hands-on work is part of a larger effort to restore the environment and instill a sense of pride in the community. Through their involvement, Junior Green Corps members not only learn valuable environmental skills, but also develop self-confidence and a sense of responsibility for their neighborhood.

The Junior Green Corps, a professional development program for youth ages 14 to 18, provides students with work experience they can put on their resumes and prepare them for the workforce or higher education. The program is run by Operation Better Block, Inc., an organization founded in 1970 to revitalize Homewood.

“Part of the work results from the amount of vacant land we have here in Homewood. What we have been able to accomplish over the last decade is to convert land into green spaces that benefit the community,” said Carlos Thomas, communications and citizen participation specialist.

One of their most significant projects is the farm on Frankstown Avenue, which addresses food insecurity in the neighborhood. Over the past two years, the farm has produced more than 300 pounds of food that is delivered to Jamii Market, a farmers’ market held weekly in the James T. Givner Building, weather permitting.

“A lot of it is about social justice and environmental justice, but also taking into account what people in the community need most,” Thomas said.

Thomas stressed that their work is about more than just physical improvements; it’s about changing mindsets. He pointed out that poverty often brings challenges like dropping out of school, and the Junior Green Corps aims to help students overcome these barriers by encouraging them to think differently.

Christina Thornhill, 17, talked about how working with plants helped her deal with her anger and rethink her views on life and violence.

“There’s more out there than what we see in our image and who is around us,” Thornhill said. “We can say something other than ‘Oh, my buddy died the other day’ or ‘Oh, my buddy just helped me plant.'”

The Junior Green Corps has maintained the farm on Frankstown Avenue for decades, with different groups of students taking turns over the years. Thomas, the fifth to hold the position, noted that many of the graduates have gone on to success. One of them joined the U.S. Air Force, others attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania and another pursued a career as a police officer.

“We can help steer people into professions where we also need greater representation,” Thomas said.

Although some of the progress is not immediately visible, the program has had a significant physical impact. Students have planted around 80 trees, which is critical for Homewood, an area known for its lack of tree cover and high temperatures. The trees were planted in a variety of locations, including the Faison School, the Junior Green Corps garden, the Tioga Playground, and the Idlewild Playground.

“These are things that will have long-term implications,” Thomas said.

The program is structured like a job, and many students view it that way. They actively advertise through local schools like Westinghouse and are always looking for new students. Participants earn $8 an hour and receive $500 for each year completed, up to $2,000 when they graduate from high school.

“Not many 18-year-olds can start with $2,000,” Thomas said. They have the capacity to mentor 20 students in a cohort.

Still, the challenge is getting students to understand that benefit and how to preserve wealth, Thomas said. They give students financial literacy tools, discuss housing and equity and how to build intergenerational wealth and life insurance.

“We can’t allow students to earn money here without having conversations about financial education and taxes,” Thomas said. “That’s difficult in a transitional community, in a community where there’s no housing or a grocery store.”

Thomas has lived in Homewood since birth and is the director of Feed the Hood. As a chef, he is trying to build a system of food production, he said. He has been with OBB for a year and has been involved in many conversations about food insecurity and food apartheid in black and brown urban communities.

“Food insecurity not only means the physical displacement of food, it also harms public health,” he said.

Growing up in Homewood wasn’t what people expect because the community was always present, Thomas said.

“The reality that I grew up in, as much as I think I deserved more, it was the best life I could have ever asked for. Now I get to fight for this community and work in this community. Nobody is going to come and save us,” he said.

Nazim Burton, a new employee at Operation Better Block, connected with Thomas through Feed the Hood. Burton said Operation Better Block has taught him a lot, especially after a minor car accident last year.

“Working with the plants is very similar to what I had to go through. I had to retrain my body, do physical therapy and, in a technical sense, practically water my plants myself,” he said.

Roberto Cargile, 18, who was part of the summer group, said the program gave him and his classmates new experiences about how life, trees and the earth grow and function. For Dallas Chatman, 17, cleaning up the community and bringing people together was the best part.

It was also very rewarding for the students to see the reaction to their work and to see how people felt more comfortable watching the greenery grow and thrive.

“We are improving the block in the truest sense of the word,” Cargile said.