Youth Opportunity Teen Corps is an eight-week summer internship offered by the Riverside Park Conservancy for high school students interested in horticulture and environmental restoration. Participants meet every Tuesday and Thursday morning across multiple park locations in West Harlem, working alongside professional zone gardeners on hands-on projects including woodland management, invasive species removal, and horticultural care of New York City's open spaces. Students who complete 48 hours of service earn a $1,000 stipend upon finishing the program. It is a rare opportunity to gain real-world environmental experience while making a meaningful impact on public green spaces in New York City.
Guiding a group toward a shared goal and keeping everyone moving together.
Planning tasks, timelines, and resources to get a project done on schedule.
Breaking down a challenge and working through it methodically to a solution.
Bringing people together around a shared cause to create real change.
Prioritizing tasks and using time effectively to meet deadlines and goals.
Students perform environmental restoration work including invasive species removal, tree pit maintenance, and woodland area management.
Interns maintain park grounds, manage natural areas, and keep parks safe and healthy—core park ranger responsibilities.
Students gain hands-on experience improving NYC's open spaces and community green infrastructure through horticultural projects.
Teens assist with organizing community volunteer groups, event staffing, and coordination of group activities in parks.
Community Experiences
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