Summer Youth Program
Meet the Youth Crew
Info about the 2024 Summer Youth Crew
- Position Title: Crew member
- Supervised by: Crew leader
- Part time/ temporary: Monday-Thursday 9am-3pm, for a total of 24 hours per week
- Start and end date: July 8th, 2023 – August 29th, 2023
- Compensation and Benefits: $18 per hour. Work boots, work pants, and daily lunch provided. 1 hour of sick time for every 40 hours worked. 30 minutes of paid travel time.
- Work Location: Various City of Auburn, Washington parks – Fenster Park, Isaac Evans Park, Dykstra Park, Mary Olson Farm, Triangle Parcel off O Ct NE, and 104th Ave SE parcel.
- Timeline: 8 positions open until June 10th, or until all spaces are filled.
- Qualifications: No experience necessary. Must be 16-18 years old. Must be able to get to Auburn worksites by 9am every morning.
The Youth Crew Restoration Training Program takes places during the summer in Auburn, Washington. In 2023, the Crew removed over 18,000 square feet of invasive blackberry from crucial salmon habitat areas, conducted a solarizing experiment to help contain blackberry, participated in native plant ID and water quality testing, and learned from guest speakers about their journeys to their green careers.
Youth Crew 2020-2021
In 2020 and 2021, Partner In Employment, an organization that works to guarantee the long-term economic stability of newly arrived refugees and immigrants in King County, connected Mid Sound with youth who, with Mid Sound staff, worked on a restoration crew in the Summer and Fall. It was an opportunity for these youth to learn about green jobs, habitat restoration, and build their resumes for future employment.
They were an amazing and dedicated group. Despite all the challenges –such as getting used to working outdoors for long days, hot afternoons in the summer and cold rainy mornings in the fall, wearing masks and frequently washing hands to keep the work site safe from COVID-19, wildfire smoke and high winds, tough digging conditions, and so so much blackberry –they rocked it! It’s easy to see how much they accomplished just by looking at the numbers from 2020 and 2021:
- Provided 6,851 total hours towards improving habitat along the Lower Green River at Fenster Park and Isaac-Evans Park for salmon and for people;
- Cleared over 350 cubic yards of invasive species from over 56,025 square feet of riparian habitat
- Spread more than 1,500 square feet of mulch on cleared areas;
- Removed 107 bags of garbage from these parks; and
- Planted over 722 native trees and shrubs!
The numbers only paint part of the picture, and the true benefits of the program go way beyond habitat! The youth were wonderful ambassadors in Auburn Parks, sharing their knowledge with curious walkers and park users. They learned to identify more than 30 invasive and native species, giving them a new perspective on the outdoors. As part of a culminating project, the youth learned to assess a site, determine which plants were a good fit, and create a planting plan. They then helped lead a volunteer event to plant their site!
Weekly zoom lessons expanded their knowledge about green careers and helped workshop resumes, while also teaching them about salmon, watersheds, water quality, and more. Their confidence grew as the season went on, quickly identifying new plants, asking questions, sharing new ideas and help problem solve on the fly.
This was a wonderful learning opportunity and a great partnership. Bringing together these amazing, energetic young people, Partner in Employment, Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group, and Sound Salmon Solutions—with support from the Port of Seattle—will leave a lasting impact for all of us who were a part of it. At our end of the season celebration and reflection, one of the youth said, “I’m gonna miss my shovel” as another called out “Are we doing this next year??”
Partners in this project included: Partner in Employment, Sound Salmon Solutions, and Auburn Parks & Recreation. It was made possible by funding provided by Port of Seattle, King County Flood Control District, WRIA 9.