Farming Cooperative For Teens

It started out as a call to action by Rev. Marjani Dele; a search for groups of teens wanting to learn about permaculture, nutrition, and the operation of cooperatives. In the heart of DC. "It" was a call to participate in an 8-hour training program, focused on the care and raising of sunflowers, in order to market the product - sunflower seeds - as a nutritional snack food.



On March 9, 2013, four groups attended the orientation of what was now the Nature's Friends Sunflower Field School - The GlennCrest Community/Make A Difference House Youth Ambassadors; Sasha Bruce House And Beet Street Gardens' Youth Garden Stewards/YOLO Pies; and the Fairfax Village Community Garden.

Groups were introduced to the open sharing model with the youth who were participating, along with the information they needed for growing the sunflowers, creating opportunities for leadership, becoming environmental stewards, job skill training, and other topics. The groups were then able to turn their knowledge into individual projects.

YOLO/Beet Street turned its knowledge into a terraced perennial garden, with separate plots for sunflowers and melons.

Some of GlennCrest's Teen Ambassadors with packets of different types of sunflower seeds at their garden site.

Also, a connection to NATURE'S FRIENDS SUNFLOWER FIELD SCHOOL VIDEO to see the program in action.

Thanks to these articles from COOP DC: http://coopdc.org/2012/11/26/teen-farming-cooperative/ and http://coopdc.org/2013/03/24/update-on-natures-friends-sunflower-field-school-teen-farming-cooperative/.

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