Green Team

Green Team is our flagship youth development program where we center youth voice, youth lived experience, and encourage young people to think broadly and deeply about the possibilities in their own lives. In this city-wide program, high school aged youth engage in urban conservation education and skill building projects. The Green Team program compensates youth for their time and talents while helping their neighborhoods create a greener and more resilient future. 

Building Skills for a Lifetime

We equip youth with the knowledge and tools to tackle environmental challenges in Richmond’s most impacted neighborhoods, focusing on climate resilience and equity. Through our partnership with the Science Museum of Virginia, Green Team members study real-world issues like urban heat islands, flooding, and air quality. Over the years, our youth have contributed to groundbreaking science and community-driven solutions that directly impact our city and its residents—ensuring a healthier, more sustainable future for all.

Urban Heat Island Measurement

In 2018, Green Team participated in Throwing Shade in RVA with Jeremy Hoffman at the Science Museum of Virginia. Using infrared cameras and thermometers, youth collected heat data from all across the city of Richmond. This heat data was then used and published in academic journals, as well as publications like The New York Times, to show that the areas with the highest heat vulnerability aligned with maps of previously redlined neighborhoods. This work is part of a national conversation around climate change and the urban heat island effect, and influenced the creation of Groundwork RVA’s own Climate Safe Neighborhoods Story Map.

Now, Green Team youth have the opportunity to study how the Urban Heat Island Effect impacts their communities, and learn green infrastructure practices they can implement to help combat it.

Air Quality Testing

Green Team participants also have the opportunity to participate in other Community Science initiatives like RVAir. Using air quality sensors, youth collect and study data on local concentrations of airborne pollution known as particulate matter, a mixture of microscopic particles in the air that has been linked with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. This data informs the Science Museum of Virginia’s current Air Quality map, as well as the larger community conversation around air quality interventions.

Growing Leaders Through Community Action

Green Team is all about developing the next generation of leaders and urban conservationists. Through hands-on projects like building trash cans, cleaning up parks and community spaces, and tackling special environmental initiatives, youth gain teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership skills. They connect with the community through outreach and education, learning to advocate for a healthier, more sustainable Richmond. At our Hillside Mini Farm, they help cultivate fresh food while deepening their understanding of food systems and environmental stewardship. Every project is a step toward personal growth, civic engagement, and lasting impact.

Outdoor Recreation

Groundwork RVA's high-quality youth development programming is designed to engage young people who come from and live in communities that have been impacted by years of disinvestment and are working towards climate resilience.

Through this program, our Green Teamers have taken trips to Yellowstone, Glacier, Teton, and Shenandoah National Parks. Through our National Parks trips youth are not only able to have the experience of leaving Richmond and exploring a wider world, but they have the opportunity to engage in service projects at the park that will have lasting impact and allow them to say, “I built that.”