Riverside Teen Corps Horticulture Internship Program

Riverside Park Conservancy Teen Corps is a paid summer horticulture internship in New York City for high school students who live in West Harlem. Interns work alongside the Conservancy's zone gardeners to care for Riverside Park and nearby green spaces, learning basic horticulture and environmental restoration. Typical tasks include tending trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses and bulbs, weeding, watering, mulching, removing invasive plants, aerating tree pits and general park cleanup. Interns also help prepare, staff and clean up after community volunteer groups and look after the tools and supplies used each week. The 2026 program ran from Tuesday, July 7 to Thursday, August 27. Corps members met on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00am to 12:00pm in Riverside Park, Sakura Park and Fort Washington Park, between 110th Street and 181st Street. Teens who complete 48 hours of service over the summer receive a $1,000 stipend. The program is supported by West Harlem Development Corporation.

Applicants must live in Morningside Heights, Manhattanville or Hamilton Heights, the area from 110th Street to 155th Street between Riverside Drive and St. Nicholas Avenue or Morningside Avenue. Applications are submitted through the Conservancy's online form, and the posted deadline for the 2026 season was May 1, so it has passed.