Written by Carlo Solis, Senior Program Director.

Summer 2021 has been an extraordinary time of growth for the Enterprise for Youth Green Career Internship. A large part of our growth is thanks to the partnership Enterprise has created with the National Park Service and Golden Gate National Recreation Area Team at Fort Mason.

For five weeks twenty Enterprise for Youth interns have been working with National Park Service staff on beautification, maintenance, and the upkeep of public spaces at Fort Mason, Black Point, and Baker Beach. Enterprise youth have been enjoying the hands-on experience as they learn more about environmental justice, local and global ecology, habitat restoration, native plants, the preservation of historic architecture, and career opportunities with the Federal Government.

Offering youth a summer internship experience with such a great partner has opened the eyes of many of our interns to the role and civic duty of maintaining and enjoying our public spaces. As more park visitors have returned to enjoy the National Parks, our partner’s staff have commended the interns for their contributions in restoring areas of interest in the parks. One of the internship highlights has been working on the restoration of Black Point near Aquatic Park, which will be open to the public for the first time in over 100 years this fall. We are proud of the work our interns have done! 

Thank you to our amazing partners at the National Park Service for supporting Enterprise for Youth interns this summer. We look forward to working with you again to help keep our public lands beautiful.