Progress report for YENC22-174
Project Information
"Rooted in the Community" is a summer camp program for youth in the west-central region of Illinois hosted by Carl Sandburg College, based in Galesburg. The free, two-day camp introduces children aged 9-12 to sustainable agriculture practices, purposes, and careers. The camp staff works with local farmers, community gardeners, nutritionists, and ag educators to teach campers about sustainable agriculture through hands-on activities, field trips, and educational presentations. The 2022 camp will explore sustainable community farming, distribution, and practice. Sandburg will host two summer camps, two-days each, open to youth throughout the district.
- Introduce youth to sustainable community ag practices and purposes through hands-on activities in the Galesburg Community Garden and field trips to local farms.
- Provide information on careers in sustainable agriculture through meetings with farmers and educational presentations from ag educators.
- Encourage youth to shop locally and capitalize on nutritional benefits by learning about healthy eating practices and how to prepare nutritious meals.
- Ensure equitable access to sustainable agriculture education by working with community stakeholders to offer Rooted in the Community free to all participating campers.
- Share project results through social media, radio interviews, press releases, website publications, and conference seminars.
Cooperators
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
- (Educator)
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
| 7/26 Tuesday | 7/27 Wednesday | ||||
| 9:00 |
Pre Survey 9-9:30
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Soil, Plant Processes, Types of Crops 9-10 C204
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| 9:15 | |||||
| 9:30 |
Travel 20 min 9:30-9:50
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| 9:45 | |||||
| 10:00 |
Spurgeon Garden 9:50-10:30
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Sandburg Green House 10-11
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| 10:15 | |||||
| 10:30 |
Travel 30 min 10:30-11
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| 10:45 | |||||
| 11:00 |
Trillium Dell Farm 11-12
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Sandburg Community Garden 11-12
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| 11:15 | |||||
| 11:30 | |||||
| 11:45 | |||||
| 12:00 |
Lunch (at Trillium Dell Farm) 12 - 12:30
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Lunch 12-12:30 E124
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| 12:15 | |||||
| 12:30 |
Travel 44 min 12:30-1:15
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Travel 15 min 12:30-12:45 | |||
| 12:45 |
Cornucopia 12:45-1:15
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| 1:00 | |||||
| 1:15 |
Belted Cow Orchard 1:15-2:15
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Travel 15 min 1:15-1:30 | |||
| 1:30 |
Monarch Butterfly 1:30-2:30 C204
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| 1:45 | |||||
| 2:00 | |||||
| 2:15 |
Travel 44 min 2:15-3
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| 2:30 |
Certificate Ceremony 2:30-3 C102
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| 2:45 | |||||
| 3:00 | |||||
Camp Day 1
Camp Day 2
Learning Outcomes
Higher interest in pursuing a career in agriculture.
Gained skills and knowledge about sustainability in agriculture.
Higher interest in starting a garden at home.
Higher interest in participating in agriculture youth camps in the future.
Project Outcomes
Trillium Dell Farm and Cornucopia Natural Market hosted a youth tour for the first time through this project. They expressed they would like to continue being involved in educating youth about sustainable agriculture.
Students who participated in this agriculture youth camp were from age 9 to 12.
The pre and post-survey we conducted demonstrated the impact of this camp on students' perspectives in agriculture.
Students who have a garden at home were 7 of 13. In the post-survey, the 6 who currently do not have a garden at home answered that they would now like to start one at home.
There were 5 students who answered that they were interested in pursuing a career in agriculture. In the post-survey, 3 more students answered that they are now interested in pursuing a career in agriculture.
10 out of 13 students answered in their post-survey that they want to come back to the agriculture camp next year.
Thank you for giving us this opportunity to educate our youth to visit local gardens, orchards, and farms. We were able to offer this full two-days quality camp for free to many youths who are underserved and are not able to afford youth camps that are normally pricy.
This camp encouraged our youth to grow an interest in sustainable farming as well as an appreciation of farmers and local markets.
Most importantly, during the last hour of the camp, there were three students who expressed that they now have an interest in pursuing a career in agriculture.
This camp surely is a great advocate for inspiring a new generation of farmers, ranchers, and consumers.
Information Products
- Facebook Posts (Article/Newsletter/Blog)