Fairview Youth in Action Interns Share Community Research at Walk Fairview Day in Hillsborough, North Carolina

By Kevin Giff

Fairview Youth in Action interns brought together approximately 80 neighbors, community partners, and elected leaders on Saturday, August 8, for the sixth annual Walk Fairview Day at the Dorothy N. Johnson Community Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Walk Fairview Day is the culminating event of the Fairview Youth in Action summer internship. The paid program prepares high school students who live in or are connected to Fairview, a historically Black neighborhood in northern Hillsborough, to serve as community researchers and advocates.

Over the summer, interns talked with residents, conducted surveys and interviews, and visited community spaces to better understand what changes people want to see in Fairview.

“Our interns get to see that ideas raised by young people can lead to real improvements,” said Edith DeJesus Sanchez, a Fairview Youth in Action program coordinator. “Change takes time, but their voices can help move it forward.”

During a youth-led walk through the neighborhood interns explained what they learned and presented recommendations in four areas:

• Connecting Fairview by Bus: Interns studied barriers that make it difficult for residents to use the bus. They recommended expanding weekend hours, offering a bus-riding workshop, and adding artwork at bus stops.
• Expanding Soccer at Fairview Park: Interns studied how to improve access to soccer for Fairview residents. They recommended moving the temporary goals to a more accessible, underused area of the park and continuing to advocate for permanent soccer goals.
• Growing Fairview’s Community Garden: Interns researched the best ways to expand the Fairview Community Garden. They recommended adding accessible garden beds, seating, and fruit trees.
• Creating Space for Fairview Teens: Interns explored how to better serve local teens. They recommended creating a teen room at the Dorothy N. Johnson Community Center and offering more activities and outings.

This summer’s research builds on the Activate! Fairview Active-Living Plan. The plan was shaped by previous Fairview Youth in Action interns and identifies community priorities for making Fairview safer and easier to walk and be active, including safer streets, better connections between neighborhood destinations, improved parks, and vibrant public spaces.

Walk Fairview Day also gave the community a chance to celebrate how earlier ideas are taking shape. Many of those improvements are making it easier and safer for residents to walk through the neighborhood.

At Fairview Park, new walking trails have expanded opportunities to walk and be active. The Rainey Avenue shortcut connecting the neighborhood to the park was also improved, creating a better walking connection to one of Fairview’s most important community spaces.

Additional improvements are planned for Rainey Avenue. After years of community advocacy around speeding and pedestrian safety, the Town of Hillsborough committed funding to begin planning a sidewalk connecting the Dorothy N. Johnson Community Center and Fairview Park. These priorities were previously highlighted by America Walks in its story about Fairview Youth in Action’s work to improve neighborhood walkability and in local coverage of the community-led Rainey Avenue traffic-calming proposal.

At Fairview Park, temporary soccer goals were installed and the Rainey Avenue shortcut was improved. The Town of Hillsborough also committed funding to begin planning a future sidewalk along Rainey Avenue.

This year’s Walk Fairview Day also marked an important milestone for the program. In 2025, federal cuts eliminated the SNAP-Ed funding that had supported Fairview Youth in Action and other community health programs in Fairview. The loss placed the internship’s future in doubt, as reported following last year’s Walk Fairview Day.

The Town of Hillsborough stepped in to help fund the 2026 internship, allowing Fairview Youth in Action and Walk Fairview Day to continue.

“Last year, we were not sure if we would be able to bring the internship back this summer. That is when the Town of Hillsborough stepped in,” said Kevin Giff, Communities on the Move Manager with UNC’s Food, Fitness and Opportunity Research Collaborative. “Because of the Town’s support, our interns were able to return and continue their work. We truly would not be here without that support.”

Elected officials in attendance included Hillsborough Mayor Mark Bell and Town Commissioner Robb English; Orange County Board of Commissioners Chair Jean Hamilton and Commissioners Marilyn Carter and Phyllis Portie-Ascott; and North Carolina Representative Renée A. Price.

In addition to the guided walk, the event included youth research displays and community resource tables. 

Fairview Youth in Action is sponsored by Fairview Community Watch, the UNC Food, Fitness and Opportunity Research Collaborative, and Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. To learn more about Fairview Youth in Action or support its work, visit our website or contact Kevin Giff at giff@live.unc.edu