During the summer, RYP partners with Boston Youth Fund to provide 15-20 youth with summer employment. The six-week Summer Employment Program runs from early July to mid-August and pays participating youth $8 per hour for 25 hours of work per week. The summer program students focus on a specific theme and then work together toward creating an event or project based on that theme. In the process, the youth learn many useful skills, such as resume writing, interviewing and event planning, as well as new tools such as project planning software. In 2009, the summer project addressed the question of “what does it mean to go green?” With raw materials and the help of volunteers, the youth built two raised-bed gardens and planted an array of vegetables and flowers, which was tremendously successful. The students also received practice in research and attended staff-led workshops.