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This transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
At Highview Hills Park in Dayton, students from Dunbar Urban Agriculture are building something not just for a grade, but for their community. The park isn't used much, not because it isn't beautiful, but because it hasn't been easy to move through.
I joined students from Dunbar High School's Urban Agriculture Program as they worked to enhance this natural space. First, I spoke with Nessa Moyer about what they're working on today.
“We're out here building bridges so people can access the trails and have somewhere to walk when they come to this park. People don't usually come here because it's not as accessible, and a lot of the time they don't even know this park is here. I didn't know about it either. But now, because it'll be more accessible and easier to walk through, maybe people will come here,” Moyer said.
Then I spoke with students Carmelo Blackford, Raquel Ortiz and Emmanuel Museveni and asked why this project was important to them. Given the amount of hard labor involved, I also asked what it meant to help make the park more accessible.
“Basically, it's so anybody who wants to walk the trail can do it more easily. People might have disabilities, and they should be able to walk easier.” Blackford said.
“What we're trying to do is make this place a little better. Last time we planted some trees, and we were able to explore the area and get to know it a little better. It was really nice. I personally enjoy nature. I love seeing the animals, the water, the trees and the wind. And the weather's getting better,” Ortiz said.
“I live close by. It's important to me because I want to be able to come here with my friends,” Museveni said.
Then I spoke with another student, Alexander Joseph.
“I used to stay inside most of the time. I'm an indoor person, and I didn't know anything about kayaking. But this program has really helped me by getting me outside to explore and enjoy the flowers, the trees and the bees. To see the projects we've had in mind come to fruition is just beautiful,” Joseph said.
“It's been great seeing some of the young people who are super excited, even the ones who are a little hesitant about the outdoors, really getting acclimated and comfortable,” Niani Brown said.
Brown works with the City of Dayton's Office of Sustainability and has been with the students throughout the project. She said that deeper connection to nature matters.
“Like I said last week, they were out planting trees. Every student planted at least one tree. They were out identifying salamanders and crawfish and morels and all of these things, and it was just so great to see how interested they were, to see them hanging out, to see how much they were enjoying themselves. You know, just knowing that this is contributing to their graduation, but it's also contributing to them as a human being, as a person,” Brown said.
And that's what community and connection looks like — more than a trail that people can walk through. It's a place young people can point to and say, “We built this.”
Their teacher, Mr. Houston, later sent me an email thanking me for amplifying voices that aren't always valued as much as they should be. As someone who came up through Detroit public schools, I felt that.
You can keep up with the students on Instagram at Dunbar Urban Agriculture.
We Outside is made possible with support from Five Rivers MetroParks and produced at the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO.
