My Turn to participate in coastal clean up event

LYNN – Lynn teenagers will take time out of their day this month to help the environment when members of the My Turn organization take to the beach for an international clean up.Participants in the program will head to the Nahant Beach Reservation on Wednesday, Sept. 24 to collect trash, clean the area and collect data that will be presented to the ocean conservatory.The event is held as part of the International Coastal Clean Up effort in conjunction with the Massachusetts Coast Sweep Campaign, which aims to protect marine life and coastal areas through cleanups and research.A representative from the Urban Harbors League will lead the group on a short trip from its 170 Union St. headquarters to the Nahant Beach Reservation, where teens will learn about the importance of protecting marine and coastal areas. Volunteers will then clean the coastline and collect data, such as what they found, how much of it, where it was and how they felt it wound up in that area.Following the clean up, volunteers are tentatively scheduled to travel to the New England Aquarium in Boston to further their education on the environmental problems facing the ocean, and view first-hand some of the research that is being done to combat the issue. The trip is still contingent on funding, but organizers say visiting the aquarium will be a key part of the education.”A lot of the youth involved take the time out of their day from work, or some of them have kids, to come to My Turn, so it is awesome to see them serve their community and also be rewarded in a way with this trip,” said Carolyn Spivak, a Massachusetts Promise Fellow for My Turn. “Many of them have never had the opportunity to visit a place like the aquarium, so it will be great for them to go and get an idea of the bigger picture and see (in the rehabilitation area) some of the ocean life that they are trying to help.”My Turn is a non-profit organization based out of Brockton that works with youth 14-21 who are both in and out of school. The organization offers school to work and school to college programs that help underprivileged youth develop goals, skills and confidence needed to transition successfully into post-secondary education or the work world.In Lynn, the program is geared toward youth who are no longer in school. They provide job-readiness programs and life skills training, all of which leads up to the final goal of passing the GED test, the equivalent of a high school diploma.Students must complete a series of tests and evaluations to determine when they are ready to take the GED, and community service is a large component of the organization as a whole.The Nahant Beach Reservation Clean Up will take place Sept. 24 beginning at 10 a.m. For more information on International Coastal Clean Up Day visit www.coastsweep.umb.edu.