July 14, 2023 | Education
Summer Stories: Youth Development Program, Week 3
Week three of the Youth Development Program was filled with farm work, field trips, and baking!
The Youth Development Program is a paid opportunity for high-school-age students to develop and hone various skills in preparation for life beyond the classroom. The summer session is called the Seed Crew, and is 8 weeks of working, learning, and connecting as a team.
It was an exciting week at the Urban Farm with the Youth Development crew!
Monday morning we split up into three groups. One group weeded a vegetable plot, one harvested gooseberries, and the other added mulch around the Urban Farm’s fence line. After we finished, we all helped for a final round of weeding. We spent the rest of the day doing a journaling activity to help us recognize outside stress we may bring into the job, and how that might play into the idea of intent versus impact of what we say and do.
Tuesday morning was full of harvesting! We harvested carrots, beans, broccoli, kohlrabi, and cabbage. It was so much fun seeing how much food the Urban Farm produces. After lunch, we walked over to our Farmhouse to do some cleaning and tidying for the next day’s baking activities.
Wednesday morning brought us quite a bit of rain. Luckily, it was time to bake our weekly batch of zucchini bread! We all helped shred zucchini, gather baking supplies, and started working on the bread batter. Some students sorted seeds as well. The fresh zucchini bread had the whole house smelling delicious. When the rain cleared after lunch, we spent a little bit of time cleaning up the plots near the entrance of the farm. Everything looks so pretty now! At the end of the day, we had a quick discussion about the next day’s field trip to Indian Creek Nature Center.
When Thursday morning arrived, the students were so excited to get off site and see a different farm. We traveled to meet with Jean, who gave us a tour of Indian Creek Nature Center’s Amazing Space and shared so much knowledge about sustainability, conservation, and animals. After that, we drove over to Indian Creek’s Etzel Sugar Grove Farm to learn about their operations. They have chickens, ducks, and even bees! A tour of the farm made us all hungry so we enjoyed lunch on-site with a view. While we were there, we helped them mulch around some trees they planted recently. This helped compact the soil and keep weeds from growing. It was so enjoyable to meet others who share a love for the outdoors just like us.
We’ve got some exciting activities planned for next week. See you then!