Youth on the Farm
It has been an amazing new adventure for EarthDance staff to see and participate in the fulfillment of one of our long-standing goals for the organization: welcoming youth to the farm for intergenerational learning. 2014 marked the start of some amazing partnerships and programs that have enlivened the EarthDance Organic Farm School Campus. Young people ages 5 to 19 and up have been learning and playing at EarthDance this year!
This spring, EarthDance welcomed teens from McCluer High School’s Work Experience Program. Six to ten students regularly joined their teachers, Miss Maher and Mr. Holzapfel, and Founding Director Molly Rockamann, in a variety of farm tasks. The program provides the students an introduction to the world of work: listening for instructions, staying on task, remaining positive in the face of adversity, and successful teamwork. Meanwhile, the students also learned a bit about cooking with whole foods, and the many facets of organic farming. The partnership was so successful that “Mr. H.” plans to bring his Work Experience students back to EarthDance in the fall semester.
Special School District Students and Teachers at EarthDance
Working with the teens from McCluer was something of a soft open for the first phase of EarthDance’s new YEAH! Program (Youth Exploring Agriculture and Health). This summer, YEAH! consists of a summer jobs program for local teens, ages 16-20. Starting in June, Kayla, Danyelle, Tavion, Tre, India, Brandon, Cameron, and Dystinne became the members of EarthDance’s first Junior Farm Crew (JFC). James Young, a longtime band teacher in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, and a graduate of the EarthDance Apprenticeship, leads the crew. The Junior Farm Crew has done amazing work at EarthDance over the last month: weeding, mulching, beautifying the farm scape, harvesting produce and packing CSA shares. The group also learns about the principles of organic farming and healthy cooking. The crewmembers take home a “crop of the week,” and get a lesson on how to prepare the week’s featured vegetable. One member of the JFC even commented that roasted turnips could be a substitute for french fries!
Junior Farm Crew Shows Off Some Hard Work
If you attended The Taste in Ferguson, you may have a met a few members of the Junior Farm Crew working at the EarthDance booth. The JFC also prepared the quick pickles and raw veggie “pasta” that EarthDance sampled at the Taste. You can meet Dystinne and India, two JFC members in one of our weekly CSA videos, here. The summer session of YEAH! will run through August 12th. YEAH! is made possible by the support of the Mysun Foundation, the Dana Brown Charitable Trust, and a partnership with the St. Louis County Urban League.
EarthDance staff plus Kayla and Danyelle at The Taste in Ferguson
Also enjoying their time on the farm are members of the Strength and Honor Mentoring and Tutoring club of Ferguson (S&HM&T), and volunteers from OASIS. S&HM&T is a summer camp led by McCluer-Berkeley South High School science teacher Albert Harold (Coach Al), for boys in the Ferguson-Florissant area, ages 5-18. The teens serve as fellow Coaches, to provide positive role models for the younger boys. OASIS is an organization that strives to enhance the lives of adults over 50 through education and service opportunities. OASIS operates a program called Catch Healthy Habits, designed to bring active older adults together with elementary aged children for eight weeks of lessons on healthy eating and physical activity. Research confirms that these lessons boost healthy behaviors for both the older and younger participants! EarthDance has been hosting a session of Catch Healthy Habits at the farm. The boys and coaches of S&HM&T walk to the farm for discussions about making smart food choices, as well as active games and a healthy snack, including something fresh from the farm each week. Five OASIS volunteers regularly lead the activities, providing a rewarding social experience for the volunteers (as well as the chance to catch up on their jumping jacks.)
Catchin’ Healthy Habits at the Farm
In addition to these programs, EarthDance is still regularly leading field trips and service opportunities for groups of young people. Recent visitors included a troop of Girl Scouts, consisting of 47 girls exploring STEM careers through a Math, Science, and Ecology Camp, and a group of 18 high school students on a church service trip, visiting all the way from Minnesota. Finally, EarthDance is excited to work with Biology Professor Geraldo Camilo of St. Louis University to provide another opportunity for young people to learn from the farm. He and his students are conducting research on pollinators at several urban gardens around St. Louis, including EarthDance.
We are so pleased that these new individuals and groups are active on the farm this year. Encouraging biodiversity is a tenet of organic farming. We believe that diversity enlivens and strengthens social ecosystems as well, and the above-mentioned programs have greatly diversified the look and feel of our farm school campus recently. We are excited to see how the youth of EarthDance will influence their families, peers, and communities through what they learn and share at the farm!