Announcement
This summer, IRC Atlanta’s youth programs came alive with hands-on learning, community engagement, and skill-building experiences that empowered students across age groups to explore, connect, and thrive.
New Roots Youth Food Justice Interns tend the garden at Dunaire Elementary School.
Cultivating Justice Through Urban Agriculture
Through the New Roots Youth Food Justice Internship, and a new partnership with Emory University's Urban Health Initiative, ten high school students spent eight weeks immersed in urban agriculture and food systems. Every Tuesday, they tended the garden at Dunaire Elementary School—planting, composting, and harvesting over 100 pounds of fresh produce that was shared with the local community.
Thursdays brought field trips to partners like Fresh Harvest, where interns supported a pop-up market, and Global Growers Network, where they joined educational tours and helped pack CSA boxes. The summer culminated in a vibrant Refuge Recipe Celebration Day at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, where interns prepared a culturally inspired dish—fruit chaat masala—and later cooked a farm-fresh lunch for the youth summer camp team.
My New School summer students take a field trip to the Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary.
Middle Schoolers Build, Explore, and Discover
In the My New School summer program, middle school students (ages 11–14) dove into a world of creativity and discovery. With Decatur Makers, they designed and raced mini cars and experimented with watercolor painting. Field trips introduced them to wildlife conservation at Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary, civil rights history at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and fire safety with the Dekalb County Fire Department.
Workshops led by IRC staff, interns, and community members focused on social-emotional learning, peer relationships, emotional awareness, and even AI. Students from Georgia Tech visited summer camp to demonstrate and present on responsible AI usage. Youth learned about the effects of AI on the environment, how to train AI, and had the opportunity to discuss their own AI usage. The presentation was comprehensive and challenged middle schoolers to think deeper about how their actions can affect the world around them.
Students also gained financial literacy skills thanks to IRC’s Financial Capabilities team. This innovative work, funded by a grant from American Student Assistance (ASA), enabled us to launch our first financial literacy classes for middle schoolers.
Youth Futures Summer Camp: Creativity Meets Citizenship
The Youth Futures Summer Camp welcomed 14 high school students for a summer of hands-on activities, creative games, and civic engagement. A standout moment was a visit to Decatur Makers, where students made slime—blending fun with scientific exploration.
Campers also explored resources at the Clarkston Public Library, participated in Youth in Action workshops led by the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and joined a weekly plarn (plastic yarn) crochet and current events circle led by a Youth Futures alum.
Financial literacy workshops strengthened their understanding of banking, credit, and budgeting, and introduced them to the basics of entrepreneurship. Also funded by ASA, these summer classes built the foundational knowledge for our high school students to continue this Fall in our New American Student Startup Academy (NASSA), a youth entrepreneurship program that will award one group of high school students with capital and business coaching to launch their own business.
Thank you for Making This Summer Possible
These transformative experiences were made possible by the generosity of our supporters and the dedication of our partners. Together, we helped young people build confidence, skills, and community connections that will last a lifetime.
To learn more or support future youth programs, please contact Heloise Ahoure at Heloise.Ahoure@rescue.org.