PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Eryn Hatzithomas, Assistant Director of HR & Engagement at Queens Botanical Garden
1:34:44
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171 sec
Eryn Hatzithomas from Queens Botanical Garden discusses their internship programs and community engagement efforts, highlighting the organization's role in providing environmental education and job skills to youth in Queens.
- Queens Botanical Garden offers nearly 200 youth internships annually in various areas including horticulture, farm and compost, public programming, and administration.
- The organization started a Growing Justice internship program last year, engaging 30 high school students in food production, distribution, and advocacy.
- Partnerships with the SCI Network and community organizations help attract diverse talent and provide essential training to intern mentors.
Eryn Hatzithomas
1:34:44
Thanks.
1:34:46
Hi.
1:34:46
Thank you.
1:34:47
My name is Erin Hassy Thomas.
1:34:49
I'm the assistant director of HR and engagement at the Queen's Botanical Garden.
1:34:53
We're one of the 8 cultural institutions part of the SCI network.
1:34:57
We have 39 acres in Flushing, Queens, and we're a stabilizing organization in our community that offers environmental education, engaging programming, and cultural activities.
1:35:09
We provide open space and trees and flowers and resources for people, but also our most important undertaking is to foster sustainable choices, decisions 4,000 almost 200 youth internships in 2024.
1:35:39
And these interns, participate in things like horticulture, farm and compost, but also public programmings, visitor services, administration.
1:35:48
A lot of times, it's an opportunity for youth to discover all the different ways they can contribute to cultural organizations.
1:35:57
As a leader in environmental education, we also started our growing justice internship last year where 30 high school students were able to reach thousands of community members through food production and distribution, peer education workshops on food justice and nutrition, and advocacy on food policy and sustainability.
1:36:17
We also hosted over 50 summer interns, where they learn meaningful job skills that will help them build sustainable careers in the future.
1:36:27
The partnership with SCI Network provides essential training to our intern mentors, that are able to provide these opportunities and also, educate youth that they are part of something much bigger than even the Queen's Botanical Garden, that they are part of a network in New York City and opens that up for them.
1:36:46
In order to reach, the every corner of Queens, we partner with community organizations, with schools, and other organizations that help attract talent from every corner of Queens to the garden, to make sure we're offering those opportunities.
1:37:02
And then this year, we were also able to increase our opportunities with our farm and compost project, and give people an opportunity to experience sustainable agriculture community and education in the middle of the city.
1:37:18
So we're committed to expanding this access to STEM and environmentally focused internships in our community and the continuing and new support from elected officials to ensure that QPG remains a source of environmental education and job skill building opportunities for the youth of New York.