The Growing Connection Nurtures At-Risk Youth
By Beth Harrington, Program Director, Broome County Gang Prevention
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This summer, at-risk youth in Binghamton, NY, will gain job skills by growing, harvesting, and marketing fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers, courtesy of The Growing Connection.
Gearing up for its third summer, this innovative entrepreneurial program aims at providing job training skills such as customer service, advertising, and marketing. It is sponsored primarily by the Binghamton's Center City Weed and Seed Strategy and Binghamton University's Center City Coordination Program, and implemented by Broome County Gang Prevention (BCGP).
Poor economics and lack of job skills and experience are among the top risk factors for juvenile gang involvement and therefore a key program objective for BCGP staff. As a job-skill consultant for BCGP, Benjamin Wood, a retired Cornell University education professor, initiated the Binghamton project because he realized The Growing Connection's potential for connecting high-risk, gang-prone youth to hands-on, out-of-classroom experiences.
The Growing Connection project began at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and was first introduced in Africa and Latin America as a low-cost, water-efficient, and sustainable food-growing technique that uses patented self-contained gardens called Earth Boxes. The project's goal in third-world countries is to teach families and children how to fight hunger and malnutrition in their hometowns. Now being implemented in the United States, the project has expanded to join youth ages 13 through 16 together in common educational and entrepreneurial activities.
Jurell Spivey, Outreach and Case Manager for BCGP, said he "couldn't think of a better way to get these kids excited about learning to run their own business. It's amazing to see their faces when it's time to harvest boxes and display their produce."
During the first week of June, the youth and staff transport the boxes from four solariums that the Binghamton Housing Authority provides for initial planting to the housing authority's courtyards. Residents help the youth maintain these self-contained gardens by watering them on weekends and participating in dead-heading, pest control, and harvesting.
The most rewarding part of the project, according to BCGP staff, is the intergenerational bond that forms between the youth and the residents at the housing authority. "The residents line up at the farmers market table every Thursday to support the kids and praise them on their harvest," said Spivey.
In addition to learning the science of using the Earth Boxes—planting, growing, and harvesting—the youth practice customer service, advertising, table display, and overall marketing skills. Youth receive interactive instruction in these areas via WORKPlus—a workshop-based training approach developed by Public/Private Ventures in Philadelphia, PA—and engage in weekly staff meetings at which job responsibilities alternate among table display, signage and advertising, and financial management. They polish their presentation and sales skills by displaying their Earth Boxes and produce two or three times per summer at the downtown Binghamton Farmers Market.
BCGP staff also invite representatives from the nutrition department of Cornell University's Cooperative Extension of Broome County, local and organic farmers from around the county, and banking experts to speak to the kids. In fact, a nutritionist's cooking class led the youth to add a new product to their inventory in 2005: freezer jam. The youth packaged more than 200 jars of strawberry and blueberry freezer jam last year, and the residents are already placing orders for more this year.
In the fall, youth and their families attend a harvest celebration where they receive certificates of completion and enjoy their produce, which is served as appetizers, entrees, and desserts prepared by the nutrition staff at Cornell Cooperative Extension. The staff also discuss the nutritional value of each dish and offer user-friendly recipes for families to try at home.
BCGP is extremely grateful for the support of all of The Growing Connection partners, especially the city of Binghamton's Center City Weed and Seed strategy, which funds the purchase of new Earth Boxes, seedlings, classroom supplies, and speakers fees. A formula grant from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services pays for incentives that the youth receive weekly for completing each week's program requirements.
For more information, contact:
Beth Harrington
Program Director
Broome County Gang Prevention
607-723-9491, ext. 141
