Teen Volunteers Help Rejuvenate Green Space in Brooklyn

Five teens from Three Village worked to rejuvenate a backyard space for a nonprofit group located in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the Avalon Park STATE program announced this week.

Antonio Alagna, Silvia Cohn, Matthew Cornell, Rachael Sclafani, and Jake Welde teamed up with park director Katharine Griffiths and program director Rebecca Kassay, spending several hours to clean up the property on Oct. 16 for the group Sue Rock Originals Everyone.

Sue Rock Originals Everyone is a nonprofit that helps women who have been victims of domestic violence, donating clothing and holding classes for women to learn how to sew, knit and crochet. The backyard space will be used as a sanctuary

"After only five hours of work, and a whole lot of effort, the backyard was transformed into a lovely, welcoming, functional space," Kassay said. "...The impact of the volunteers' efforts will extend far beyond their day’s work: the peace brought to this urban outdoor oasis will touch the lives of a countless number of women, their families, and their friends."

Kassay said the 20-foot by 40-foot backyard space was littered with broken furniture, a half-fallen fence, overgrown bushes and low-hanging branches, and other debris.

For the volunteers, it was a learning experience as well.

"I think that it was a great experience working in a community other than my own," said Cohn, 16. "This way our efforts are more widespread. I learned how valuable "green space" is in an urban area, and was glad to be able to create some."

The STATE program, which stands for Students Taking Action for Tomorrow’s Environment, is a teen volunteer program coordinated at Avalon Park.