Making something worth looking at takes a lot of hard work. But time flies when you're having fun. Just ask Jericho Thomas.

What You Need To Know

  • The mosaic took four summers to complete

  • Students get paid through BOCES workforce

  • The mosaic is located at Columbus Park in Binghamton

"It's really like having fun. But you're getting paid for it, so it's really not even working," said Jericho Thomas, a Johnson City senior.

Jericho and some of his friends are working to finish this mosaic at Columbus Park.

Four years ago, local artist Emily Jablon started the project and mentored local high schoolers, shifting their perspective of what community looks like.

"But what I started to hear a lot of was Bloods, Crips, and big homies, and stuff like that and it got to the point where I said, I cannot take this gang talk anymore," said Jablon, owner of Jablon Studios.

So, that's where Mosaic Mafia comes in. "We will assimilate as a gang, and we will be Mosaic Mafia."

A group dedicated to brightening up the entrance to Columbus Park. 

"A lot of kids, while we're doing this a lot of people walk by and say they like it and a lot of kids at the park want to help and stuff like that," said Thomas.

Teenagers like Jericho and Amerie Miller, a Binghamton sophomore, say working on this mosaic has also given them a group they enjoy being a part of. 

"It's not like just getting out of the house and like going to the park or going to the mall. It's like other people here with you to have fun with you and to work with you," said Miller.

The students get paid through BOCES for their work. And while it's a unique summer job, it builds a lot of skills for the future.

"They might not know I teach them how to work, they know they're working. But in it I embed work ethics, which will help them as they become active members of our workforce," said Jablon.

Now the kids have created something beautiful in their city for years to come.