Local food justice leaders attend Boston Food Project's winter institute

by Jess Oppenheimer

Leaders from YO! Youth Organics in Albany and Roots and Wisdom of Schenectady attended a conference of about 20 national food justice leaders organized by the Food Project in Boston.

They learned the secrets of the Food Project’s successful academic year-round programs, which engage urban and suburban youth, ages 14 up through their 20s, in agriculture, urban gardening, hunger and homelessness issues, and offers internships in culinary arts, diversity and farmer’s markets. Youth learn public speaking and leadership skills and lead large groups of adult volunteers.

The Food Project is a model for area youth agriculture programs. Sixty young people attend their summer program. Participants and staff grow food on 33 acres and in city gardens. They have a huge Community Supported Agriculture program, a farmer’s market and a catering business.

Winter Institute attendees also came from East NY Farms in New York City, Cultivating Communities in Maine, GRUB in Olympia (Wash.) and other youth farms outside Philidelphia. Workshop attendees played various activities that the Food Project uses as teaching tools, such as “The Wind Blows” and “Wealth and Power.” The Wind Blows game is a fun way to learn about the politics of food, such as how much packaging goes into processed food, and how little the farmer profits.

Leaders learned the best way to organize “real work” for youth, such as building raised beds, working in a catering kitchen or at the regional food bank warehouse. We built 30 raised bed frames in one day. The raised beds went to people, mostly Latin American immigrants, who were already growing food, but in lead-contaminated soil. Discussed were ideas such as placing youth who work fast in leadership roles, being clear about what “hard work” is, and pacing work with fun. Youth from the Food Project say that they keep coming back because the project “allows you to change” and that young people are taken seriously.

Support Local Youth Farm and Garden Projects

YO! Youth Organics is a garden project in Albany engaging and partnering with young people through skills trainings in sustainable agriculture and community organizing. We provide leadership opportunities, a challenging environment in which to grow and a space for personal development, especially the improvement of health and nutrition.

Thank you to Honest Weight shoppers who contributed to our fall drive at the registers. These funds went directly to hiring a youth outreach worker, Lindsey Rogowski. Lindsey attends the Harriet Tubman Free School in Albany. Soon to be 17, her interests include nutrition, holistic/alternative medicine, music, culture, gardening, cooking and animals of all kinds. She hopes to be a professional musician. We will have five young people working with us this, spring and are looking to expand our summer program from 10 to 20 positions this year. We will be a worksite for the City of Albany Summer Employment program once again, so if you are an Albany youth ages 14–18 interested in working with us this summer, you can put Youth Organics down on your application as your desired worksite.

We will be working in two or three urban gardens and two sties outside the city. Thirty percent of the food grown will be donated to food pantries. The rest will be used in cooking and food preservation classes, and for young people to take home. Some of the food may be sold at a farmer’s market. If you are looking for fun volunteer opportunities, give us a call. We’re also looking for compost, tool and plant donations, especially herbs for our herb garden, and vegetable seedlings. Please contact Jess Nitya at 463-2222, or youthorganics@gmail.com.

Roots and Wisdom is a youth agriculture and community service program in Schenectady County. Young people and adults grow organic vegetables for donation to local food pantries and for sale at area farmers’ markets. The program teaches its participants about sustainable agriculture, hunger, nutrition, diversity and leadership. The program is in its second year of activities, and is actively recruiting Schenectady County youth, ages 14–17, for the Summer Growing program. Information and applications are available online at www.rootswisdom.org, or by phoning 372- 1622 x286.

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