Global Youth Service Day Gets Teens Involved While Helping the Environment!

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It was a sunny spring day at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park for Global Youth Service Day on Saturday, April 20. The park, in the Anacostia watershed with rich history in the War of 1812, was full of volunteers of all ages as well as environmental enthusiasts talking about recycling and reducing our impact. Teens and preteens arrived at the park and picked up supplies including a t-shirt, a trash bag and gloves before spreading out throughout the park to help pick up trash and recyclable products. Some were even taken out to the far end of the park on a boat! Aside from a chance to earn service-learning hours and beautify the park, volunteers could learn about how to keep our environment clean and happy from various booths. There were even students and teachers from Forest Park High in Woodbridge, VA, who created a beautiful sculpture out of 6 days’ worth of recyclable materials. There was also live music, food and many other activities. By late morning the bags of trash and recycles collected by volunteers were already starting to pile up. It was a great day of community involvement and helped make our parks a better place to visit!