Youth + Environment + Work + Community
Greenagers, through its paid employment programs, internships and apprenticeships, engages teens and young adults in meaningful work in environmental conservation, sustainable farming, natural resource management, and vocational skills building. In the Berkshires, Northwest Connecticut, and nearby New York State, our trail crews maintain existing trails and build new trails for local, regional, and national conservation organizations. Our Farm and Food Justice Team stewards April Hill Farm and works with local farmers, learning animal husbandry and organic agriculture. They also install front-yard gardens for area families, glean produce for local food service agencies, and promote food justice through community work and advocacy.
Featuring an historic house dating to 1744 and barns dating to the mid-19th century, April Hill Education and Conservation Center serves as the headquarters for Greenagers as well as a resource for community gatherings and education. April Hill Farm is the primary stewardship enterprise on the nearly 100 acres comprising the property. Conserved in perpetuity, April Hill has nature trails, vegetable gardens, orchards, pastures and hayfields, and abuts the Appalachian Trail–linking it to the Berkshire-Taconic range and beyond.
Greenagers participants learn the value of teamwork, collaboration, initiative and solid work ethics. They learn about community partnerships through collaborations with area nonprofits, businesses and organizations that both hire Greenagers and partner with Greenagers’ broader mission of youth and community engagement. We embrace the values of service and stewardship, and we support social and environmental progress in all of our work.
Greenagers was formed in 2007 as a program of The Center for Peace through Culture. On January 1, 2013, Greenagers incorporated as its own organization, Greenagers, Inc. and is now a 501 (c)(3) organization.
Staff Board of Directors Alumni Partners
MISSION
Greenagers works to inspire teens and young adults to develop deep connections to land, work, and community. We prepare youth for success in work and life by offering paid jobs and education in the areas of conservation, sustainable farming, and related trades.
vision
Greenagers envisions a culture of community where young people work together to restore forests and fields, grow food, and build spaces that support natural systems and sustainability.
To realize this vision, we work to get young people outside; working with their hands; talking to each other and their elders; listening, leading, and learning. We believe that this work is foundational and the heart of a culture that values education, stewardship, and community.
Our work is funded through contracts with conservation clients, private and government grants, and contributions from individuals and businesses.
Greenagers is a Berkshire United Way Funded Partner.
