Youth Agriculture Project – Farm Fresh Food is for Everyone
Location
Summer Work and Learn program offers at-risk youth a paid 8-week work opportunity of hands-on sustainable agriculture work. Youth work as a crew to grow, prepare, sell, and donate fresh food through partnerships with farms, school gardens, and community food security and social service agencies.
About You
Section 1: You
First Name
Liz
Last Name
Kenton
Website URL
Organization
Country
United States, VT
Section 2: Your Organization
Organization Name
Youth Agriculture Project, University of Vermont Extension
Organization Website
Organization Phone
802-257-7967
Organization Address
11 University Way Suite 4, Brattleboro VT 05301
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Organization Country
United States, VT
Your idea
Name Your Project
Youth Agriculture Project – Farm Fresh Food is for Everyone
Country and state your work focuses on
United States, VT
Describe Your Idea
Summer Work and Learn program offers at-risk youth a paid 8-week work opportunity of hands-on sustainable agriculture work. Youth work as a crew to grow, prepare, sell, and donate fresh food through partnerships with farms, school gardens, and community food security and social service agencies.
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
SWL allows teens to sample different types of work and identify their own skills and strengths in leadership, customer service, agricultural labor, education, and outreach. Youth who participate in producing food with the Youth Agriculture Project build their life and job skills, become more employable, and begin to see themselves as citizens who have a place of “belonging” in the community.
In a “waterfall effect,” previous program staff have gone on to replicate elements of the program at other community-based educational farms in the region and around the country. The overall result is more educated young professionals, producers, and consumers aware of their role in a sustainable food system. Some SWL alumni have gone on to study agriculture in college, work on production farms and to explore agricultural policy as a field.
Students who visit farms see their snack growing; they pick it, prepare it, and know where it comes from and who grew it – and they are more likely to encourage their parents to provide snacks like edamame and fresh carrots. Participation increases their connection to soil, seeds, and food as a system. When community members of all ages encounter their food directly and learn how to prepare it, consumption of fresh vegetables becomes the norm, resulting in improved nutrition for consumers and greater profit for farmers.
Support for local organic sustainable farming has myriad benefits for the local economy and environment, increasing food security as well as the fabric of community. Increasing support in the community for small local farmers strengthens the local economy, increases the community’s self-reliance, protects the natural landscape of Vermont and the character of the region, reduces negative environmental impacts, and brings people into contact with the sources of their food. All eaters are part of a sustainable local food system.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
The Youth Agriculture (nee Horticulture) Project started in 2001, broadly modeled on the youth empowerment and community participation of Boston's The Food Project. The program serves audiences not traditionally involved in UVM Extension's 4-H programming, such as youth who are low-income, have learning or physical disabilities, are at risk of dropping out of school, are in state custody, in foster care placements, or are experiencing crises at home. Youth Ag works in partnership with an array of community and statewide partners to reach a diverse group of youth each year with cohesive programming that is adaptable to local situations.
In its first seven years, YHP has worked with over 2,000 youth, raised over $7,500 through various enterprises, and grew over 28,000 pounds of produce. Out of those 28,000 pounds, the youth have donated over 16,000 pounds to local hunger relief programs and schools. In addition, we have expanded our list of supporters, increasing the financial sustainability of the project.
In addition, a graduate thesis studying the impacts of the program thus far has found statistically significant impacts in participants’ abilities to communicate, work with those who are different from them, work out problems that are presented to them, follow through on commitments and grow food for their community. Program alumni and their parents, teachers, and case workers have cited improvement in participants' food literacy, level of physical activity, connection to their communities, and specific job and life skills integral to success in our increasingly complex world.
Problem
The USDA ranks Vermont sixth among the states in hunger. Lack of affordable housing, jobs, and transportation coupled with rising food and fuel costs can force a cruel exchange of food quality and quantity in favor of covering bills. Food and farming literacy, in addition to making youth more job-ready and enterprising, builds self-reliance and some security against hunger.
A lack of jobs for inexperienced youth leaves them without on-the-job skills, which can lead to a deepening cycle of poverty and dependence on social services. Resilience training and job skills help kids break this cycle. A Summer Work and Learn experience introduces youth to professionals, food producers and distributors, and support agencies for community relationships that will last after the summer.
Actions
The current Youth Agriculture Project coordinator has been accessing and building connections with youth agriculture educators around the state throughout her tenure with the project, beginning as farm manager in spring 2008. We have long-standing partnerships for Summer Work and Learn recruitment, outreach, workshops, farmers' market, community service opportunities, and farm visits. Participation in regional and statewide events also strengthens an understanding of what other groups are doing and our accessibility as a resource to those efforts.
While we can impact stakeholders throughout the state through workshops and conferences on youth in agriculture, the quality and staying-power of our impact will be much greater if our programming itself is distributed throughout the state. We are working on a revised program manual for a "portable" youth summer agriculture job-training program, but may find that potential partners are a weaker match than it seemed; organizations may feel their program documentation is sufficient; may not have the staff/volunteer time needed to run such a program despite interest; may feel the manual doesn't answer their program needs. We will strive for
Results
Approximately 150 words left (1200 characters).
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
Approximately 300 words left (2400 characters).
What would prevent your project from being a success?
Approximately 250 words left (2000 characters).
How many people will your project serve annually?
101‐1000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$100 ‐ 1000
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for more than 5 years
In what country?
United States
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
If yes, provide organization name.
University of Vermont Extension
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
Yes
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Approximately 150 words left (1200 characters).
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
Approximately 300 words left (2400 characters).
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
400 words or fewer
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
400 words or fewer
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Newsletter from Changemakers
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
50 words or fewer
 | eurolanguages said: Hello Liz, I'm just a simple passerby who wishes to congratulate you for this project! Wouldn't it be great if people started ... about this Competition Entry. - 642 days ago read more > |
| Alexis Ditkowsky said: Hi Liz, I really enjoyed reading about your Youth Agriculture Project and was curious to hear more about what initially led to this ... about this Competition Entry. - 650 days ago read more > |
| Youth Ag Project submitted this idea. - 652 days ago |
