gardening

2021 Intern Reflections: Gab

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Gab is a junior studying Natural Resource Conservation with a focus on Wildlife Conservation at UMass Amherst. They first heard about Eagle Eye from a peer advisor at UMass, Gabby Gracia, who interned with Eagle Eye in 2019. Gab is part of the STEM Ambassadors Program at UMass, a mentorship program for historically underrepresented students in the STEM fields.

I discovered Eagle Eye fairly coincidentally, by looking through the personal statements of the peer advisors, one of whom had been an intern with Eagle Eye in 2019. Through browsing the Eagle Eye website, I learned about the mission to connect all youth with nature and conserve MountainStar Forest, a mission that deeply resonated with me and aligns with my career goals of working in wildlife conservation. When I learned of the summer internship program, I was eager to be a part of Eagle Eye’s mission, and I am immensely grateful to have been given that opportunity. 

Eagle Eye’s site is on an incredibly beautiful natural landscape, whose isolation encourages a depth of self-reflection that is seldom possible elsewhere. Being immersed in the outdoors everyday, sleeping in tents, stewarding the trails, and eating vegetables from the garden fosters a necessary and mutually beneficial connection with the land that I will take with me always. Through working on building projects with [Eagle Eye Site Manager] Scott, I learned how to use new tools and drive a tractor. On our group walks along the trails, the Eagle Eye interns and staff shared plant and mushroom ID knowledge that we were then able to pass on to the youth with whom we worked on the Learn About Forests programs.

I think the opportunity to intern at Eagle Eye would benefit anyone looking to gain confidence in the outdoors, great personal and professional connections, and experience in carpentry, youth work, and communal living. It is an experience I won’t forget.

“It will always be a part of me”

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Sabiha Miahjee has been part of the Eagle Eye community since she was six years old and a participant in our Learn About and Eagle Club programs in Boston. This year, she graduated Somerville High School and started attending Boston University. She wrote us a reflection on how her relationship with Eagle Eye has influenced her life and outlook on herself and the world. Read her story below.

I was first introduced to Eagle Eye Institute at the Margaret Fuller House, my after-school program in Cambridge (I was 6), where a couple of charismatic Eagle Eye staff guided us on a field trip to Appleton Farm. 

I moved away from Cambridge after that and moved from place to place within the greater Boston area, eventually landing in Somerville, where I joined the Mystic Learning Center (MLC), aka the coolest daycare ever. It took a while for me to adjust to another city. I had to get used to a new neighborhood, enroll in a new school, and make new friends. After several months of trying to figure it all out, one day I look out the door at the Mystic, and lo and behold, a familiar Eagle Eye staff enters. I immediately beam at an old, familiar face. 

In the following years, I fell in love with being apart of ‘Eagle Club’ at the Mystic, as we ventured into the outdoors, namely hiking in the Middlesex Fells, canoeing on the Mystic River, and camping at Ponkapoag Pond, all of which were first-time experiences for many of us. I had never gone camping before Eagle Eye – roasting marshmallows and sitting by a campfire only happened in movies up until then. 

Eagle Eye programs are so valuable because they allow youth to tune out the addicting, yet boisterous, sounds of the city, and explore the uncharted territory of nature. They experience new activities like going on their first hiking trip, walking in snowshoes, camping for the first time, learning how to garden, and taking out their first kayak or canoe.

The incredible mentoring moments I received from Eagle Eye staff helped me to engage with my community, as well as open me up to even more adventurous activities. When I was 10 years old, an Eagle Eye staff helped my friend, Darien, and I apply for a grant from Katie’s Krops, so that we could grow fresh vegetables in the Mystic community garden plot, and give them out for free at the Somerville Mobile Farmers Market. This grant granted (pun intended) me the opportunity to fly down to South Carolina for a few days for a Katie’s Krops Camp. I received the opportunity to go on my first plane ride, make garden beds, and cook freshly harvested vegetables with other youth. This was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had.

Eagle Eye brings cool experiences to youth, especially youth of color, allowing them to connect with nature, and learn about the natural environment. As a brown girl who grew up in low-income areas for all of her life, I realized very recently how limited my access and relationship with nature would have been, had it not been for Eagle Eye. The ability to enjoy outdoor activities without the constraints of income or transportation is an enormous privilege many families have. Enjoying nature and acquiring environmental literacy isn’t as accessible as we may think. That’s why these programs are so special to youth and youth development, and why they were so special to me. I was forced to step out of my comfort zone, pushed to explore, and became excited to learn. Many urban youth, especially low-income youth, miss out on opportunities like this, without the kind of outdoor programming that Eagle Eye provides.

The summer before I entered eighth grade, MaJa and Anthony invited me to stay with them at MountainStar Forest for a week. I slept in a tent in the camping area with MaJa the whole week, and basically bathed in the pools in the stream. I was getting the ultimate experience. I remember not being too excited about eating solely plant-based foods when I was used to eating meat practically everyday, but I was pleasantly surprised about how delicious vegan food can be. I always had fun making vegan pizza, and my favorite desserts were MaJa’s chocolate mousse and zucchini muffins. 

Every morning, we meditated in the tipi, and although I wasn’t the best at clearing every racing thought in my head, it was a nice way to start my mornings. It’s a practice that I still keep with me whenever I feel stressed out, helping me focus on what I need to in the moment, instead of pondering about what I need to do a month from now. I regain control of my thoughts, allowing me to bring awareness to the present.

I also loved that I was fully offline, because there was literally no service to tempt me to check my phone, and I noticed a shift in my anxiety levels. I didn’t know it was happening at the time, but I was deepening my connection to nature, and consequently, I felt stronger connections between my mind, body, and soul. 

Spending all of this time with MaJa and Anthony, I realized just how special Eagle Eye is. To be part of an extended family, run by the most thoughtful people who work diligently to make sure they offer quality outdoor programming for pre-teens, teens, and college students, is an enormous privilege. 

As I am now graduating Somerville High School this spring, I am considering what to study in college. Although I am entering as undecided, I’ve been gravitating toward studying environmental systems, sociology, and design. Eagle Eye has been a huge factor in shaping my academic interests, as I am interested in food and climate systems, communities, and studying abroad to explore different environments. I admire Eagle Eye’s vision to bring environmental awareness to youth, and I’d like to leave high school setting out to improve access for others, as well. 

Eagle Eye has witnessed my growth from adolescent to teen to young adult, and in time, it will witness the rest of the unfolding of my life. It will always be a part of me.

Sabiha Miahjee, March 2021

Spring Plans with Rainbow Growers

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This spring EAGLE Club youth from Mystic Learning Center in Somerville will be growing vegetables for the second year in the Mystic Community Garden with funds received from Katie’s Krops. With assistance from Eagle Eye and Mystic Learning Center staff, youth between the ages of 7 and 13 will prepare, seed, nurture and harvest vegetables, and donate the food to people in need.

Last winter Eagle Eye approached EAGLE Club youth with an opportunity to receive funding from Katie’s Krops – an organization that assists others to start and maintain vegetable gardens and donate the harvest to help feed people in need. Two youth from the Mystic Learning Center EAGLE Club, Darien Rodriguez and Sabiha Miahjee stepped forward and worked together to plan their project and fill out the grant application. They chose to call themselves the “Rainbow Growers” and started their own blog to record their efforts.

Darien and Sabiha enlisted fellow EAGLE Club members, Mystic Learning Center youth and adults from the Mystic Housing Projects to refurbish two abandoned garden plots. Sabiha says “I taught the kids what plants were weeds and could be pulled. And that tomato plants don’t grow well when you put water directly on the leaves.” With hard work, dedication and love, youth harvested a total of 52 pounds of produce. Youth gave out each pound of food at the Mystic Mobile Farmer’s Market and kept track of the donations. More than 50 families from the community received vegetables! Sabiha and Darien received a Commendation from Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone for improving community food access in Somerville. 

This spring youth plan to make updates to the Mystic Community Garden greenhouse, use newly purchased tools to build additional raised beds and grow a larger variety of vegetables including collard greens, dinosaur kale, basil, eggplant, tomatoes and peppers. Darien and Sabiha look forward to involving more community members in the garden, donating more vegetables and keeping everyone updated on the Rainbow Growers blog. Darien exclaims, “Come check it out and help out!”

Click here to visit the Rainbow Growers blog

Click here to learn more about Katie’s Krops