by Gamaliel Moses, Public Ally Intern

During the spring season of Solar Youth’s Steward Team after school program, the students decided to plant flowers and clean up an area behind their school as a Community Service Action Project (CSAP). They were indeed excited to see that the tulip bulbs that they planted during the fall were now growing into plants. They wanted to beautify the area even more through their spring project. As a team we developed an action plan through which we delegated tasks and organized the flow of the day. We then sang the C-SAP song to the sound of drums and percussion. Yes, it was C-SAP time again, a time to have fun and to also do something helpful for the environment and community.

On C-SAP day it was a bit rainy, but we were fully prepared with our ponchos. First we did a clean up of the area by picking up litter and leaves. We dug up the soil and added compost, organic manure and more soil. We then added a little water for moisture. After an explanation and demonstration on how to plant the flowers, the students jumped right in and began planting. Team work was in full effect, it was happening, students working “side by side” singing repeat-after-me songs and working towards a common goal.

The flowers were all transplanted into a full bed and it was now time to water the plants. We did not have a watering hose but had a bucket and a watering can. The team turned this task into team effort by creating a water line, where the bucket was passed from one person to the next until it reached the bed of flowers. The project was now done and the students were very proud of what they had accomplished. They had now cleaned up the area, maintained flowers they planted last year and planted a new bed of flowers. It was indeed a beautiful site.

The students can now look down from their classes and see the difference that they made through doing their Community Service Action Project.