Summer Interns Experience Hands-On Learning and Creative Exploration

By Lea Kramberg, RISE Youth Programs Coordinator

Shore Corps interns at RISE (Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity) have been enjoying a summer full of educational and engaging activities, which emphasize civic engagement and environmental stewardship, and have seen a season rich in memorable experiences.

The high-school students enjoyed an inspiring field trip to American Museum of Natural History, to see “The Secret World of Elephants Exhibition,” and an outing to Brooklyn Bridge Park, where they met with Rashid Poulson, Director of Horticulture, who shared wisdom for achieving sustainable urban and environmental development. They explored the park via kayaking and roller-skating.

Day to day, the group has been actively involved in surfing with Skudin Surf, farming at Edgemere Farm with Vanessa Seis, and exploring RISE’s new educational “pollinator garden at Arverne East, where they identified a variety of native plants, including bayberry, seaside goldenrod, and butterfly weed.

Their creative talents have flourished through art projects, led by Buena Onda Collective’s founders, Camila Morales and Dominka Ksel, which are focused on themes of community and personal identity. They created flags, printed linocuts on handmade paper, and designed and made houses for birds, bats, and bees.

Students also took part in culinary arts workshops, led by Chefs for Impact and the Juice Lab, where they learned about food entrepreneurship. Janice Zaballero and Zia Bynoe, along with Shore Corps student-leader Oluwafisayo Ogunsola, led the group in workshopping recipes, marketing, and calculating profits.

The interns explored sustainable hybrid living vessels with Pratt Institute Professor Zehra Kuz and her graduate architecture students, and they took part in the successful launch of their models in Jamaica Bay, from the dock of local resident David Selig.

We eagerly await the summer celebration to honor the hard work and enthusiasm of RISE’s Shore Corps interns. Their contributions have been significant, enriching their own experiences and positively impacting the community.

RISE is grateful for the support of the Rockaway community and its local mentors, including Buena Onda Collective, Chefs for Impact, Edgemere Farm, the Juice Lab, Pratt Institute, and Skudin Surf.

RISE extends its gratitude to Altman Foundation and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Community Impact Grant for their invaluable support.

High school students interested in joining the fall 2024 Shore Corps internship are encouraged to apply directly at riserockaway.org.