Every summer, the LPH Community Gardens welcome four neighborhood teenagers as paid summer garden apprentices. These apprenticeships give youth in our community the chance to learn more about local food systems, build job skills, spend time outdoors, and earn money through meaningful work in their own neighborhood.

The apprentices help with the daily care that keeps the community gardens growing, from watering and weeding to harvesting, planting, organizing and distributing supplies, and supporting community garden activities. Along the way, they learn that gardening is not just about producing food. It is also about caring for land, building relationships, and understanding the many living systems that make healthy growing spaces possible.

This year, we have been lucky to welcome Kurturah, Jeremiah, Amont, and Kamori to the LPH Community Gardens. One of the apprentices’ first projects this season was building an insect hotel. Together, they collected natural materials, thought about what different insects need for shelter, and created a small habitat to support pollinators and other beneficial bugs in the garden.

It was a simple project, but it opened the door to a bigger conversation about why we garden. Urban green spaces help restore habitat, support biodiversity, and create places where people, plants, and all kinds of critters can thrive. When young people understand that insects, soil, plants, and people all play a role in the same ecosystem, the work of gardening becomes more than a summer job. It becomes a way to see their neighborhood as a place to care for.

That sense of purpose is an important part of the apprenticeship program. By learning how food grows and how ecosystems work, youth also begin to see the value of their own leadership in the garden. They are not just helping maintain a space. They are helping create a healthier, more connected community.