Cultiva! Youth Project
The Cultiva! Youth Project goal is to involve diverse teenagers in organic gardening as a means to teach healthy lifestyle and job skills, increase leadership abilities by serving as role models to young children and broaden their social horizons by interacting with adults and their peers with diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Susan
Last Name
Cabell
Website
Country
United States
Section 2: About Your Organization
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
Organization Name
Growing Gardens
Organization Website
Organization Phone
303-443-9952
Organization Address
1630 Hawthorn Avenue
Organization Country
United States, CO, Boulder County
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Your idea
Name Your Project
Cultiva! Youth Project
Describe your Social Enterprise
The Cultiva! Youth Project goal is to involve diverse teenagers in organic gardening as a means to teach healthy lifestyle and job skills, increase leadership abilities by serving as role models to young children and broaden their social horizons by interacting with adults and their peers with diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
Country your work focuses on
United States, CO, Boulder County
Innovation
What makes your innovation unique?
Cultiva! youth manage a two-acre organic garden and 20 bee colonies, learn to grow, prepare and eat nutritious food, and in the process create physical activities for better overall health and enjoyable social interactions. They teach what they have learned to over 700 younger children. The youth market and sell their fresh produce and bee products at the Farmers Market and local retailers and give back to their community by donating a portion of what they grow to those in need and participating in youth implemented community service activities. We consider this program successful when Cultiva! youth acquire healthy lifestyle skills and show increased confidence in their ability to connect to their community as leaders and effect positive change.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
Tell us about the social impact of your innovation. Please include both numbers and stories as evidence of this impact
As the Cultiva! Youth Project continues to grow, it becomes necessary to support a portion of the budget via earned income sources. Youth participate in planning, planting and harvesting their 2 acre garden and help tend 20 beehives every season. When they sell their produce and honey at the Farmers Market, they continually conduct research and collect feedback on their products. They learn customer service, money handling, record keeping and team communication. In addition, every year they help to grow over 30,000 plants in our greenhouse to support our programs and raise funds through our annual plant sale.
Leadership Skills: Cultiva! empowers youth to take initiative in projects and develop the program according to their interests. Teens are able to experience a number of different situations where they can lead groups of their peers, adult volunteers and younger children. The Youth Leaders develop seminars to teach during the summer and are each responsible for teaching and leading two 30-minute seminars. Topics include: beekeeping, nutrition education, vegetable growing and harvesting and irrigation repair. We want to continue our Youth Leader specialization. Especially as our program becomes bigger and has more components (beekeeping, teaching younger kids, running a farmers market stand, managing a greenhouse and 2 acre organic garden, cooking classes, community service etc) it becomes increasingly important to have a few teens highly trained in each specific area. This new method allows them to be more empowered and successful leaders.
Cultiva participants self report, through program end surveys designed to measure actual or perceived change in: leadership and mentoring skills, knowledge of nutrition and cooking skills, physical fitness, connection to community, comfort in interacting with adults, and demonstration of job skills proficiency (staff evaluation as well as self reporting). This past season: 81% thought that they were a better leader after working at Cultiva, 89% felt they improved their job skills by working at Cultiva, 78% said they believed they could make a difference in their own future because of what they learned at Cultiva, 81% said they were more healthy this summer because of Cultiva, 81% said they ate more nutritious foods this summer because of working at Cultiva, 58% said they were more physically active this summer because of Cultiva. We donated over 10,000 lbs of produce to those in need.
Problem: Describe the primary problem(s) that your innovation is addressing
According to the 2009 Status of Children in Boulder County Report, the rate of hospitalizations due to suicide/intentional self-harm more than doubled for Boulder County youth aged 15 to 19 between 2000 and 2008. One in five (19.9%) Boulder County parents of children aged 1 to 14 reported that their child had difficulty with emotions, concentration, behavior, or being able to get along with others. More than 1 in 5 of all Boulder County children aged 1 to 14 were either overweight or obese in 2008.
A summit was held with 115 young people in March, 2006 as part of the Boulder County Youth Risk Behavior Survey community engagement process. These youth believe that the amount of sadness, suicide, and other risk behaviors would be reduced if young people felt more connected to each other and to the adults in their lives. Many youth say the root cause of harassment is that there are few meaningful opportunities for youth in Boulder Valley to get to know youth in other social groups, grades, or of different races and sexual orientations.
A connection to something can be the critical factor in helping a young person thrive and avoid some of the challenges of adolescence. As one community leader aptly stated, youth need “space, projects and mentors.” The Cultiva! Youth Project provides space outdoors and extended programming for diverse youth to meet and work together towards common goals and become mentors to younger children. Adults work with youth to create empowering opportunities for education and activities to gain skills to create a healthy lifestyle, practice job skills and give back to their community. This unique combination of activities instills confidence in their own creative abilities to overcome challenges and thrive in their environment.
Actions: Describe the steps that you are taking to make your innovation a success. Include a description of the business model. What might prevent that success?
Approximately 350 words left Process Objective:
• 10 week summer program paid job for 54 youth 14-18 years sustainable gardening instruction and participation and community service, including instruction and hands on activities in gardening for additional 200 youth volunteers..
• 6 Cooking Classes in partnership with SLOW FOOD.
• 6 sustainable gardening workshops/ intro to biodynamics
• 10 week Apprentice program for 11-13 year olds.
• 4 week Children’s Peace Garden teaching experience.
• Three community service field trips
• Year round employment for 11 youth leaders holding weekly meetings
• Youth lead 8 volunteer youth groups per season
Outcome Objective: 80% of Cultiva participants will self report, through program end surveys, because of their participation in the project they have: 1) Increased leadership and mentoring skills; 2) Increased knowledge of nutrition and cooking skills; 3) Increased physical fitness through gardening and yoga; and 4) Increased connection to community.
Goal: Increase opportunities for youth to interact with diverse people, learn entrepreneurial and job skills.
Process Objective:
• Attend 32 regular Saturday Market (3 shifts of three youth)
• Beekeeping workshop + three hours per week hive maintenance.
• Job skills workshop
• Sales and Marketing workshop
Outcome Objective: 80% of Cultiva participants will self report, through program end surveys, because of their participation in the project they feel more comfortable interacting with adults and youth participants demonstrating job skills proficiency (staff evaluation as well as self reporting)
Results: Describe the expected results of these actions over the next three years. Please address each year separately, if possible
Year One: Over 700 youth learn to grown and market organic produce and products.
Year Two:
Year Three:
How many people will your project serve annually?
101‐1000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
More than $4000
Does your innovation seek to have an impact on public policy?
No
If your innovation seeks to impact public policy, how?
Approximately 150 words left (1200 characters).
Sustainability
What stage is your Social Enterprise in?
Operating for more than 5 years
Does your organization have a board of directors or an advisory board?
Yes
Does your organization have a non monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have a non monetary partnerships with businesses?
Yes
Does your organization have a non monetary partnerships with government?
Yes
Please tell us more about how partnerships could be critical to the success of your Social Enterprise
All partnerships are important to the success of Cultiva!
We would like to learn more about how your initiative is financially supported. Please explain your business plan/revenue model
Growing GArdens seeks funds from foundations, corporations, individuals, and through special events. In addition, we receive fees for service for the rental of community garden plots. Cultiva! youth raise funds through the sale of produce and bee products.
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
Approximately 250 words left (2000 characters).
Tell us about the person—the social innovator—behind this idea.
Approximately 250 words left (2000 characters).
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Through another organization or company
If through another source, please provide the information
 | 102 weeks agoSusan Cabell updated this Competition Entry. |
| 102 weeks agoSusan Cabell submitted this idea. |
