Great Falls Youth Corps Launches 2nd Year of Making a Difference

On Friday, August 5th, the Great Falls Youth Corps (GFYC) completed its first large-scale cleanup of the summer. Over 100 community members attended, including Assemblywoman Elease Evans, City Councilman Andre Sayegh and Board of Education Commissioner Pedro Rodriguez.

The clean-up crew covered the upper, middle and lower raceway, Mary Ellen Kramer Park located near School #5, New Costello Park on Cianci Street, and the span of Spruce Street between Oliver and McBride. This wasn’t GFYC’s first community cleanup. In fact, since July, the GFYC Cleanup Committee has completed two cleanups every week, and they plan to continue semi-weekly cleanups over the course of the summer. In addition to community clean ups, the students have mapped the entire raceway and created a “Mill Mile” brochure—which identifies every mill building in Paterson’s Historic neighborhood.

The Great Falls Youth Corps, a joint partnership between the National Park Service (NPS) and NJCDC, uses experiential learning as an integrative approach to joining key concepts of science, history, social studies, sustainability, urban design, and direct public service. Since June, thirty-one high school aged GFYC participants have engaged in various hands on projects that promote social responsibility, environmental sustainability and public service.

When asked about what they gained from the program, a 2nd year GFYC member said “This program has changed me greatly by getting me more involved in the Paterson community, along with teaching me a self-respect for the city I live in, which I undoubtedly try and spread on to my peers. I’ve learned a lot about the history of Paterson, and the significant roles it plays in America. The GFYC is a huge privilege to anyone involved because it mixes learning, community service, and respect all while having a wonderful time”. The GFYC is more than a summer program—it gives Paterson’s youth a sense of pride and passion about their city.

GFYC isn’t just about community clean-ups and city mapping, but also a fun way to learn about Paterson, and the nation over all. In order to bring their theoretical and conceptual work to life, the members of the Great Falls Youth Corps visited the Lowell National Historical Park on August 7th and 8th. Like Paterson, Lowell, MA tells the story of America’s Industrial Revolution set within an urban landscape. The students were able to draw many parallels between Paterson and Lowell, and after having seen a National Park in-action, they look forward to the launch of the Great Falls National Historical Park.