Promoting Youth Leadership through Food

Presented by Gunnar Liden, Executive Director – Youth Farm

Food Access Summit 2013, Duluth, MN, August 14th

Organizational History

• 1995 in the Lyndale Neighborhood in S. Minneapolis• “Revolution of the Lemonade Stand”• 1st Summer - 10 youth, 1 plot of land• Expanded to West Side and Powderhorn in 2000• Summer Lunch Program - 2001• Project LEAD - 2002• Neighborhood Expansion in 2011 – Hawthorne and

Frogtown – 5 neighborhoods total• 2013 – 800 youth, 16 urban farms, 3 acres of land,

10,000 healthy meals, and 15,000 lbs of food

Youth Farm Mission – We Farm to Grow

We farm to grow.We farm to play.We farm to give.

We harvest relationships along side peapods.We sow confidence with carrots.

We nurture leaders like the seeds we plant.We gather peppers along with knowledge.

We tend to cabbage and in turn the community.We work the land and let it transform us.

We farm to learn.We farm to feed.We farm to grow.

Youth Farm. Where leadership grows.

Our Programming

• Youth Farm runs four sessions throughout the year, each lasting 8 weeks.  One in the summer, one in the fall, and two in the spring

• Summer – 3 days/week– Farming, Cooking, and Focus Groups

• School Year – 2-4 days/week– afterschool and in-school– Cooking classes, Farm planning, community

Events

Progressive Programming Model

• Youth Farmers (ages 9-11)

• All Stars (ages 12-13)

• Project LEAD (ages 14-18)

• Farm Stewards (ages 19-24)

Youth Farmers

• Interpersonal Skills Development• Farming Skills– Farm Badges in Summer (weeding,

seeding, watering, mulching, harvesting)

• Cooking Skills– Spend one week in the kitchen in

summer– School Year cooking classes

All Stars

• Incorporate intentional, specific program and neighborhood leadership roles while focusing on role modeling and cultural competency skills– Run CSA Shares distribution– Assist in leading stations during school

year cooking classes– Organize monthly community meals

Project LEAD

• Internship (school year) and Employment (summer) for 6-10 youth/neighborhood

• develop mentorship, conflict resolution, leadership, community organizing and work skills, through community-based projects, project planning, and mentorship of younger youth

• Run summer Farm groups and school year classes

• Analyze and plan farms and food distribution in their neighborhood

Farm Stewards

• Newest work – year round employment

• Youth Farm “graduates” 3/neighborhood

• Focuses on Leadership and Food Justice– Increase food production• Greenhouse classes • Hoop house growing

– Neighborhood level leadership• Work directly with community partners

Having Meaning and Purpose to the Work

• Youth Farm organizes our work under 3 key ideas:

1. Neighborhood Centered Work

2. Nutrition

3. Farming and Food Distribution

Neighborhood Centered Work

• Place Matters – Youth understand the context of a neighborhood– Accountability/Ownership– Impact of youth visible• Farms• Neighborhood events (both Youth Farm and

non-Youth Farm)

– Intergenerational and intercultural relationships

Nutrition

• Getting youth to care and think about eating healthy must be experiential!

• Focus on eating whole/fresh ingredients– A lot of fruit and vegetables– Create culture that healthy eating is the

norm–Must try food– Engage families and community

members as guest chef (explore culture and family)

Farm and Food Distribution

Youth Farm’s food distribution promotes food justice by growing new relationships between youth and food, meeting the wellness needs of our communities, and recognizing historical narratives and current exploitation in the food system.

Our Food Distribution Goals are Youth Defined

• Food distribution utilizes sustainable land use and food production

• Food distribution promotes youth engagement

• Food distribution supports Youth Farm programming

• Food distribution increases food access to Youth Farm families, community members and community partners

• Food distribution promotes community wellness and food justice

Authentic Youth Leadership

• Make it Real and Meaningful• Don’t demonize certain ways of

farming or eating• Don’t over think Nutrition (or

anything else for that matter)• Push Youth to TRY Food• Explore Culture through growing and

eating Healthy Food

Questions?

Gunnar Liden, Executive DirectorYouth Farm

gunnar@youthfarmmn.org www.youthfarmmn.org

(w) 612.872.4226(c) 651.283.0562