Youth Farm and Market Project

Description

Since 1995, The Youth Farm and Market Project (YFMP) has created an urban environment where youth flourish physically, socially, and emotionally while maturing into young adults. YFMP began in the Lyndale neighborhood in south Minneapolis and in 2000, expanded to the Powderhorn neighborhood in south Minneapolis and the West Side neighborhood in St. Paul.

YFMP is about developing young leaders who are connected to their food and the environment. This summer, 180 youth farmed 9 garden sites encompassing over 2 acres of urban land in Minneapolis and St. Paul. YFMP is about bringing quality food to urban neighborhoods and exploring culinary traditions from around the world. This summer, youth cooked and distributed over 11,000 pounds of fresh, local produce. YFMP is about community involvement - engaging over 500 volunteers in over 4,000 hours of service annually. YFMP is about youth entrepreneurship - youth creatively selling over $5,500 of local produce through neighborhood markets, local buying clubs and wholesale grocery distribution. Finally, YFMP is about quality year round youth programs and employment, placing high organizational value on continuous quality improvement and the integration of best practices around quality youth programming.

YFMP employs a unique progressive programming model, where the outcomes of each program, Youth Farmers (ages 9-11), All-Stars (ages 12-13) and Project LEAD (ages 14-18), building upon the outcomes of the previous set. Our goals are consistent through each program:

1) Build Young Leaders;

2) Promote Healthy Bodies and Minds;

3) Contribute to the Positive Identity of Children and Youth;

4) Create Neighborhood Connectedness and Opportunities for Contribution; and

5) Develop & Nurture Healthy Relationships.