The Youth Homes Organic Garden and Job Readiness Program

In September of 2010, Youth Homes embarked upon an exciting project to both nurture our youth and feed our community. The Youth Homes Organic Garden and Job Readiness Program was created as an opportunity for our youth to step outside and get their hands dirty while also gaining critical job skills. Under the guidance of Youth Homes Clinical Director Julie Sievenpiper, those involved will learn everything from the basics of gardening to sustainability, organic horticulture, and eventually distribution through restaurants and local farmers markets. In addition, our youth will develop essential employment skills such as communication, leadership, punctuality, participation, and the ability to follow directions; some will even learn firsthand the value of earning a paycheck! To align with school calendars, the program has been strategically divided into three phases. Phase 1, the Winter Garden Awareness Group, began in January and will continue through the end of the school year. With support from the Master Gardener Sydney Spencer, Residential Behavioral Specialist Kelli Patterson, Youth Homes Alumni and Peer Mentor Zack Walton, and Integral Psychology Intern Lilly Truong, participants meet weekly for lessons on sustainable gardening and nutrition while also managing the physical demands of garden development and maintenance. Phase 2, the Summer Job Training Program, will expand the program to include residents from all four of the Youth Homes residential programs while also functioning as a summer work program. Approximately 3-5 residential foster youth will be afforded the unique opportunity to work in the organic gardens as actual employees, holding responsibilities to complete shifts, follow directions from a supervisor, and maintain accurate accounts of hours worked. Additionally, these participants will be rated on an Employment Readiness Scale at both the commencement and completion of their employment in order to become, and eventually demonstrate, readiness for employment in the private sector. By Phase 3, the Expanded Summer Internship Program, we hope to expand crop planting at both sites to double the crop-acreage of our gardens between March and September of 2012. In turn, we intend to finalize plans for selling our produce to eventually make the program completely self-sustaining! These continued efforts aim to give our young people the opportunity to gain important job skills for future employment, nurture a lifelong love of green gardening and understand the relationship between fresh, nutritious food and good health.

Alumni Kelli Patterson and intern Lily Truong