GROW DATYouth Farm Proposal

developing young leaders through urban farming

Grow Dat Youth Farm_ProposalThe Grow Dat Youth Farm proposal has grown out of the strong partnership developed between the

Tulane City Center and the New Orleans Food and Farm Network. The Social Entrepreneurship Initia-

tive at Tulane University is supporting ongoing proposal development and the Tulane City Center is

leading site planning and design development.

Vision:

We envision a vibrant New Orleans where youth and adults transform their communities, their environment and themselves by engaging in the meaningful work of growing healthy food.

Mission:

The Grow Dat Youth Farm’s mission is to nurture a diverse group of young leaders through the meaningful work of growing food. On our farm we work collaboratively to produce healthy food for local residents and to inspire youth and adults to create personal, social and environmental change in their own communities. Grow Dat is a place where people from different backgrounds and disciplines come together in research and practice to sup-port public health, local economies and a sustainable food system in South Louisiana.

Who:

Building upon the existing K-8th grade food education programs in New Orleans, most notably the Edible

Schoolyard, Grow Dat Youth Farm will create job opportunities for high school students in the field of urban agri-culture. The farm will provide a space for students to apply the interests and skills they have developed in previ-ous cooking and gardening classes outside of the classroom. It will also create a healthy and supportive work environment for high school-aged youth from New Orleans who face limited job opportunities. With a focus on developing a sense of responsibility, community, environmental stewardship and service among participants, the farm will enhance leadership and teamwork abilities through the collaborative work of growing food.

Once fully operational, the farm will work with several high schools and youth organizations throughout New Orleans to recruit a diverse and committed group of youth who will develop leadership and life skills during their intensive, hands-on work experience. Through a structured application process, Grow Dat will conscien-tiously recruit a mix of students: 20% of whom have already demonstrated leadership skills inside or outside of school, 20% of whom are at-risk of poor performance at school, and 60% of whom are students that are neither excelling nor failing at school. Programmatic success will be defined by students’ consistent participation in the program, their increased ability to communicate effectively with other students and staff, and their ability to achieve production goals on the farm.

In the pilot year, Grow Dat will partner with New Orleans Outreach and Science and Math Charter School to recruit applicants for ten paid internship positions. The number of internships will increase over time as the amount of land under cultivation increases, providing 25 jobs and cultivating three acres of land by year four.

Through an exciting interdisciplinary approach, the farm will also engage Tulane University students and faculty in a variety of capacities. Working with the Center for Public Service and other departments in the university,

Grow Dat will create structured internships, class research projects and large, hands-on volunteer events to provide avenues for experiential learning and research. This relationship will dramatically enhance the capac-ity of the program while creating engaged learning opportunities for university students to help build this social entrepreneurship initiative from the ground up.

Where:

The Grow Dat Youth Farm will be located on a 3-acre site situated in City Park. Providing a central location ac-cessible by public transportation, the farm will become an educational destination for students and residents alike. Nestled within the larger acreage of the Park, the farm will provide innumerable lessons about the natural world to urban youth. Tulane City Center (TCC) will lead the site development, transforming it over time into a diversified organic farm cultivated by youth. As with all TCC projects, structures on the farm will be developed with specific attention to our regional climate and energy efficiency.

The pilot year of the program will take place at the Hollygrove Market and Farm while the permanent City Park site undergoes necessary infrastructure development. The farm will produce an anticipated 10,000 pounds of food in its first year on the permanent site and up to 40,000 pounds by year four of the program. The produce grown on the farm will nourish New Orleans residents who currently have limited access to fresh food. Sixty percent of the food will be sold in a variety of places, such as markets, restaurants, and corner stores. Forty percent will be donated to various locations, including hunger relief agencies--providing a high quality, nutritious food source to those who need it most. Youth participants will help identify creative and experimental ways to increase access to food in their neighborhoods, identifying key locations for produce sale or donation within their communities. Through this dual experience of selling and donating food, youth will develop an understand-ing of both the economic and true value of food as an essential life force.

How:

Following the programmatic structure of two nationally recognized youth farm models, The Food Project in Bos-ton and Urban Roots in Austin, Grow Dat will recruit, interview and hire youth during the fall semester and will operate between January and June. During the school year youth will work two days a week after-school and on Saturdays and four days a week during the month of June. For their time, youth will be paid $50 per week during the school year and $200 per week over the month of June.

Over the 25-week program, youth participants will learn a variety of skills related to growing, cooking and selling organic vegetables and fruit. Full time Grow Dat staff, with support from Americorps and Tulane interns, will develop a curriculum that includes lessons on sustainable agriculture, cooking, communication and team-building, economics, nutrition and community health, food systems, and the agricultural history of our region. Guest educators from Tulane University and the wider community will be brought in to lead workshops in their specific area of expertise, thus enhancing the foundational lessons taught by Grow Dat staff.

Working in rotating teams, students will take on the responsibility for selling food at farmers’ markets and preparing food for homeless or underserved populations. In addition to these hands-on activities, students will also participate in a highly-structured system for enhancing their communication skills called “Real Talk”. Modeled on an incredibly effective program developed by The Food Project, “Real Talk” will be the method through which Grow Dat staff provide feedback to participants about the quality of their work and the tool that trains participants to communicate effectively with peers and supervisors. In addition to improved communication skills, students will also be trained on time management, effective strategies for team work, and public speaking--all skills that can be broadly applied in future jobs.

The diverse experiential learning opportunities for high school participants will be mirrored by the multifold educational involvement of Tulane students, who will provide leadership and guidance in the development of many aspects of the project. From the creation of the business plan to the establishment of the evaluation plan and tools, from construction of physical structures on the City Park site to behind the scenes research for fundraising, Tulane students will provide integral support to the creation of the program. In its role as incubator, Tulane University will model a method for supporting social innovation that is both holistic and original.

Pilot Year Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Number of students 10 students 15 students 20 students 25 students

Amount students earn $18,000$26,250 earned by

students$35,000 earned by

students$43,750 earned by

students

Total acreage under cultivation

TBD 1 acre 2 acres 3 acres

Total amount of food produced

TBD

10,000 lbs of food grown:

6,000 lbs sold4,000 lbs donated

20,000 lbs of food grown:

12,000 lbs sold8,0000 lbs donated

40,000 lbs of food grown:

24,000 lbs sold16,000 lbs donated

Why:

Grow Dat offers an amazing and unique opportunity for teenagers and university students to develop confidence that their actions can have a positive and significant impact on the world. The farm seeks to address several social problems including:

+ Limited job opportunities for teenagers.

- The farm will create a meaningful work environment that provides learning opportunities for young people who are often only able to find employment in fast food restaurants.

- The farm will develop a variety of entrepreneurial experiences that will have a positive economic impact on youth participants and the larger community.

+ A lack of access to fresh food in many neighborhoods throughout New Orleans.

- The farm will generate fresh, sustainably-produced food for neighborhoods with soaring diabetes and obesity rates.

+ An overabundance of vacant land throughout the city.

- With potential future expansion beyond City Park to small market gardens located within neighborhoods, the farm can visually demonstrate innovative and environmentally sustainable uses of urban space.

+ Negative environmental impacts of industrial agriculture.

- The farm will use sustainable agriculture methods and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by limiting the distance its produce travels from farm to fork.

In addition to the two core objectives of youth development and food production, we envision the Grow Dat Youth Farm will have multiple other benefits:

+ Address issues of community health through the direct provision of scarcely available fresh fruits and vegetables paired with public education about health and nutrition.

+ Provide varied opportunities for Tulane University faculty and students to engage in meaningful community partnerships as part of academically rigorous research and education agendas.

+ Provide a venue for the many public education administrators and teachers looking for opportunities to enhance their classroom experiences in innovative ways.

+ Enhance the local food movement by engaging many of New Orleans’ nationally known chefs as guest educators and potential clients for farm produce.

Tulane University as Program Incubator and Collaborator:

We envision Grow Dat Youth Farm as an independent non-profit organization that has at its core a deep partnership with Tulane University. While we plan, pilot and launch this program, the farm is being incubated and directed by staff, faculty and students across the university. The Tulane City Center and the Tulane Social Entrepreneurship Initiative have been leading this effort, but we have had significant support from a broad range of staff and faculty including:

+ Center for Public Service

+ Scott S. Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives

+ Office of Community Affairs and Health Policy, Tulane School of Medicine

+ Sociology Department

+ Economics Department

+ Tulane School of Architecture

+ Office of Government Relations

+ Tulane School of Social Work

+ The Prevention Research Center at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

We feel this interdisciplinary approach to program development is the most effective path to program success and the best way to create meaningful research and educational experiences. Specific examples of how these groups have, and will, engage with the Grow Dat Youth Farm program include:

+ Market research and business plan development

+ Design consultation and construction of infrastructure elements on site

+ Nutrition education and research

+ Soil science and crop research

+ Hands-on volunteer work opportunities

+ Intern positions for Tulane students interested in social innovation, public health, design, and business.

Next Steps:

We are currently preparing for project implementation by:

+ Recruiting high school students from Science and Math Charter School to fill the ten paid internship positions that will start in January, 2011

+ Developing the 25 week Grow Dat curriculum

+ Partnering with the Tulane School of Social Work and the Center for Public Service to fill our Americorps and Social Work internships

+ Collaborating with Hollygrove Market and Farm to plan pilot year agricultural production while Tulane City Center coordinates the development of our permanent site at City Park

+ Actively seeking funds for site development and on-going programmatic costs

We are excited to share this opportunity with interested partners and funders and welcome any chance to provide more details about the Grow Dat Youth Farm project. Please contact Dan Etheridge at dether@tulane.edu with all inquiries.