What Are Your Teens Doing This Summer?

Do you know teenagers with nothing to do over the summer? Do you want to see them become active members of their community? Then consider this…

Throughout the summer, the nonprofit Sustaining Way hosts the Steward Youth Program, an immersive opportunity for high school students to get out of the house and into the dirt, quite literally. The program introduces fellows to sustainable living by engaging them in hands-on gardening, leadership development, and community involvement.

My name is Nia Drummond and I am a rising junior and Elementary Education major. As the Sustainable Education Intern, I help curate and facilitate the lessons in sustainability that the fellows receive. When we’re not pulling weeds or running lessons, you’ll find us exploring the Greenville Zoo, Rutherford Road Recycling Center, Roper Mountain Science Center, Conestee Nature Preserve, and many more sustainable sites around Greenville. The learning extends far beyond the garden beds.

What makes Sustaining Way’s work especially important is how rooted it is in the community. By employing and mentoring youth from the Nicholtown neighborhood, the organization creates opportunities where they’re needed most. These students don’t just get a summer job; they get access to knowledge and a vision for a more sustainable future. Their work helps keep the garden running, which in turn provides fresh produce and herbs to the local community. To support this program and help it continue to flourish, please consider contributing to The Future Stewards Fund.

My experience this summer has been nothing short of enlightening. As an elementary education major at Furman, I was nervous to step into a space where the students were older and the subject matter—sustainability—wasn’t my primary focus. Sustaining Way washed away those doubts from the start.

During my first week, I led a solo lesson at Carolina Literacy Project, teaching the anatomy of a plant. Since then, I’ve delivered lessons on the Hunger Gap, Food Apartheid, and even resume writing.

What I didn’t expect was how much I would grow alongside these students. I came in thinking I would be teaching, but I’ve been taught just as much about resilience, about sustainable education, and the power of community-led change. Watching these teenagers grow more confident in their knowledge, their voices, and their sense of responsibility has reshaped the way I see education. It’s not just about standards or classrooms, it’s about nurturing people and giving them tools to nurture the world around them.