Essex Heritage has built a strong youth employment and training program through our unique partnerships with the National Park Service and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Our summer jobs program is directed towards youth ages 14-20 years. The teens are hired to work at the two national park sites in Salem and Saugus. Our Youth Jobs Internship Funding Program has allowed us to partner with local institutions to hire young adults in the community for projects such as research and archiving, environmental education, and event management and visitor services.

“I began this internship knowing little about this community’s rich history and less about archival work– I leave with a newfound passion in history and archives, hoping to pursue these interests academically in the future. This grant only added to my contentment with this internship by eliminating the financial stressors of internship work; I have always wanted to volunteer and gain experiences in organizations that are not able to financially compensate me, but as a full-time student with loans and limited time, it can be stressful and almost impossible.”

 

Our Essex Heritage-run summer program is directed towards youth ages 14-20 years. The teens are hired to work at the two national park sites in Salem and Saugus and since 2015 the program has been expanded to include Bakers Island Light Station as well as many of our partners such as Appleton Farms in Ipswich—a working farm owned and operated by The Trustees of Reservations, the Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers, and Camp Dennison in Georgetown.

Essex Heritage hires the youth for 8 -12 weeks and they work under the guidance and of NPS staff and a central supervisor from Essex Heritage. On site and at the parks, they acquire skills in historic preservation, building maintenance, natural resource management, interpretation and visitor operations. The Future Leaders also gain valuable trade experience in carpentry, electricity, shipwrighting, signmaking, and gilding. For many of these students this is their first job experience, so they are also given assistance on how to prepare for work, work-place expectations, discipline, proactivity, resume preparation, and career development. The impact on these students’ lives has been substantial, and several have returned to work at the park during the fall and also in subsequent summers. Our Future Leaders truly embody the concept of thinking globally and acting locally.

2024 Future Leaders

The 2025 Future Leaders season saw the youth employees hit the ground running with their regular seasonal duties of maintaining the public spaces through their custodial, janitorial, and landscaping efforts.

In Saugus, the Future Leaders jumped right in to reprising their duties of ensuring that the site was kept clean and well maintained, and they began maintenance on the nature trail and garden. Each week, the Saugus Future Leaders worked with Biological Science Technician Bill Fuchs to continue their training in invasive species management and removal along the banks of the Saugus River. As the major project this summer, youth removed and constructed sections of fencing around the site perimeter, using period-accurate nails. Most excitingly, we hired two metal artists to train the Saugus participants in blacksmithing and metal working. On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, youth presented the public with ironworking demonstrations, serving visitors from around the country and the world.

In Salem, participants reprised their previous schedule, this year splitting up the week between working on grounds/maintenance and the spars of Friendship of Salem. Three days a week, the youth prepped Friendship’s spars and bowsprit for a change from latex to oil paint. They learned about the history of Friendship and Salem’s maritime history, and the special techniques and paints used for marine applications. Across the wharf, the Future Leaders also prepped and painted sections of fencing for the Bonded Warehouse. As the summer progressed they also assisted in setting up for the Salem Maritime Festival and each site entered their own cardboard boat into the race.

The group was once again treated to a number of enriching experiences this year, starting with a tour of the Peabody Essex Museum, where they  visited “Draw Me Ishmael,” Korean Art, the Yin Yu Tang House, and the Maritime Art and History Gallery. Both sites submitted a cardboard boat to race at the Maritime Festival, as well as assisting with the festival’s setup and breakdown and providing water to the exhibitors on the hot summer day. We took our annual tour of the Massachusetts State House, where the Future Leaders were taught about Massachusetts history and the importance of civics, and treated to a special tour of the Senate Chamber by Senator Joan Lovely, then spoke with Senator Lovely and Representative Manny Cruz. Visiting Crane Beach in Ipswich, the Future Leaders worked with our partners at Trustees of Reservations to learn about ocean ecology and how to take soil core samples. As the summer drew to a close, the youth reflected on their experiences and were treated to a barbecue and a pizza party at their respective sites, ready to return to the school year and put their newfound skills to work.

For more information please contact
Charles Smith

CharlesS@EssexHeritage.org

(978)226-8154