YFMP runs four – 8 week sessions throughout the year, one in the summer, one in the fall, and two in the spring. During the summer program 50-70 youth participate per neighborhood 3 days a week for 6 hours a day splitting their time between farm and growing activities, lunch and cooking activities, and other community based activities that relate directly to our mission. Each neighborhood ends with a community Harvest Festival, highlighting the work of the youth and a free community meal.
During the 3 school year programs, youth continue a variety of after school farm classes, cooking classes, monthly community meals, as well as in school and after school greenhouse classes. YFMP now works with just as many youth in the school year as it does in the summer…even here in Minnesota.
Utilizing its own Youth Development Curriculum, YFMP employs a unique progressive programming model where youth can begin their involvement at 9 years of age and continue participation until they are 24 years old. As youth “age” with YFMP, there is age appropriate curriculum and increasingly challenging youth engagement opportunities. YFMP’s unique progressive programming model provides year round age appropriate opportunities for the following age groups:
- Youth Farmers (9-11 year olds) In both summer and school year programming, Youth Farmer’s focus on interpersonal skills development while mastering gardening and cooking skills. Youth Farmers also begin to learn about how food choices impact their lives.
- All Stars (12-13 year olds) In addition to skills development at the Youth Farmer level, All Stars incorporates intentional, specific program leadership roles while focusing on role modeling and cultural competency skills. All Stars also begin to learn about food systems.
- Project LEAD (14-18 year olds) provides youth employment opportunities to continue to engage older youth in YFMP programming. Project LEAD participants work to develop mentorship, conflict resolution, leadership, community organizing and work skills, by exploring a spectrum of career options, and applying skills through community-based projects, project planning, and supervision of younger youth. Project LEAD are engaged in local food systems work through their garden and food distribution planning for all food grown at YFMP.
- Farm Stewards (19-24 year olds) is YFMP’s newest program which started in fall 2011 and is the next level in its progressive programming model, providing YFMP’s program “graduates” with employment and professional development opportunities after high school. Farm Stewards work year round 14-20 hours/week in greenhouses, hoop houses, and on the farms to cultivate and harvest year round crops (microgreens) and plant starts for all 5 neighborhoods. Additionally, farm stewards teach weekly in school and out of school greenhouse, hoop house, and farm classes allowing YFMP to engage more intentionally with a larger number of youth in our neighborhoods. Finally, farm stewards participate in year round youth development trainings (once/weekly) and will take the place of hiring seasonal adult staff for our summer programming.
