Youth & Schools
Growing Hope serves youth and schools in the Ypsilanti community and beyond. Our programs include garden-based nutrition education on the Growing Hope Urban Farm, in classrooms, in after-school programs, and in summer camps!
Our youth programs combine hands-on gardening education with healthy eating and cooking lessons. During the school year, our Youth and Schools team runs Seed2Plate after-school clubs at Ypsilanti schools and community centers. During the summer, we employ Ypsilanti area teens as Teen Mentors to learn garden based nutrition education. These teens develop mentoring, leadership, and job skills and work on our urban farm and community sites. In addition, Growing Hope hosts youth field trips and volunteer groups at our farm and children’s garden.
Seed2Plate: After-School and Summer Programs
Growing Hope partners with Ypsilanti schools and community centers to empower young people to make healthy lifestyle choices through gardening, healthy cooking, and eating. We work in classrooms, after-school settings and in summer camps teaching garden-based nutrition education lessons. These lessons are interactive, hands-on and introduce youth to gardening and cooking concepts.
Teen Internship Program
The paid Teen Internship Program provides local Ypsilanti teens with an opportunity to develop mentoring, leadership, and job skills. Teen Interns work at the Growing Hope Urban Farm and assist with the garden based nutrition education programs based at the Growing Hope and community sites.
Teen Interns help young learners in after-school programs and summer camps, learn how to grow and cook healthy food, work on the Growing Hope Urban Farm and gardens, help customers sample healthy food at our Downtown Ypsilanti Farmer’s Market and be a mentor and example to teen and youth volunteers at Growing Hope.
Stay tuned for applications in spring 2019! If you’re interested to learn more contact jeff@growinghope.net
Above is a photo of one of our Teen Mentors preparing a delicious salad after harvesting lettuce, beets, carrots, edible flowers, and herbs from the Growing Hope Urban Farm!
Field Trips
During the spring, summer, and fall, school and youth groups visit Growing Hope Urban Farm. Youth are encouraged to explore the youth garden and have the opportunity to learn a lesson that corresponds to what they are learning in the classroom. This is an exciting opportunity for both youth and adults to taste all of the fresh produce on the farm and learn about where their food comes from!
Scheduling – Field trips run April thru October
• Monday 12-5pm• Tuesday 3-7pm @ The Ypsilanti Farmers Market or 3-5pm @ Growing Hope Center Urban Farm
• Wednesday 3-5pm
• Thursday 8am-5pm
• Friday 1-5pm
• Saturday 9am-1pm @ The Ypsilanti Farmers Market
School Gardens
Growing Hope plays an active role in helping establish and support gardens in Ypsilanti area schools with the help of active staff, principals, and community members. By working collaboratively with staff and administrators, we believe that we can encourage and support cafeterias to provide and promote local produce from area farms and gardens. In the coming school year we plan to partner with more Ypsilanti schools to help develop their school garden programs. For those outside Ypsilanti, we can be hired as school garden consultants to offer training, resources and support!
Health and Wellness in Ypsilanti Schools
Growing Hope sits on the Ypsilanti Coordinated School Health Team, a coalition of teachers, parents, faculty, school administrators, and nutrition educators whose mission is to promote and implement the district’s Wellness Policy. The Policy guides everyone in the district to make healthy lifestyle choices through eating, physical activity and mental health. Growing Hope continues our efforts to grow a healthy school system through facilitating a Farm to School subcommittee. This committee meets monthly and plans school garden and healthy cafeteria initiatives throughout the district.
Find out more about the Coordinated School Health Team’s Wellness Policy
The Michigan Fitness Foundation supports much of Growing Hope’s youth programming.
