Summer Youth program employees pick up 452 bags of trash, plant 1,400 trees

Summer Youth program employees pick up 452 bags of trash, plant 1,400 trees

Interns with the Governor’s Summer Youth Employment Program collected 452 bags of trash on Aug. 2, which is called Day of Service cleanup. The prior weekend, interns also planted over 1,400 trees as part of their tree planting mission at the Mannell Watershed Site in Merizo.

Students with the Governor’s Summer Youth Employment Program collected 452 bags of trash and planted over 1,400 trees as part of their tree planting mission at the Mannell Watershed Site in Merizo. The five-week program is for teens ages 14 to 17. Photos courtesy Office of the Governor of Guam.

The GSYEP is a five-week program for teens ages 14 to 17. Students worked 30 hours per week at over 120 different government offices islandwide. According to a press release, the participants gained real-world government entry-level work experience, got a chance to improve their interpersonal communication skills, obtained career choice advice and educational guidance, made connections for future career opportunities, received mentorship by positive adult role models, and earned a paycheck.

“Over 1,800 of the program’s participants were deployed along roadways, parks, and beaches this week, providing additional manpower to Government of Guam agencies charged with restoring our island’s beauty post Typhoon Mawar,” said Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero.

Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio said “we were especially impressed by the transformation and revitalization of the Dededo Skate Park Pavilions.”

“These community spaces are valuable to our youth and their families and provide places to exercise and connect,” he said. mbj

Summer Youth program employees pick up 452 bags of trash, plant 1,400 trees