Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
- Education and Training: youth education
Summary:
Smooth and Social Root’s Youth Urban Agriculture Education Program is a pilot out-of-school time for children in an underserved community in Chicago. We will foster, in the youth, an appreciation for growing their own food. We want children to see farming as an option for self-sufficiency in historical food deserts, a healthy lifestyle choice in an obese nation, as well as a viable career path. The program will be implemented on our urban farm in Chicago. We also own a cafe near the farm. The cafe will utilize the food harvested on the farm to provide meals to its patrons. This will allow the children to experience the entire farm-to-table process. The program will last for 20 weeks. The children served for this pilot program will range in age between 8 and 14 (3rd through 8th grade). We will establish an inclusive environment for children of varying abilities.
The curriculum will be divided into two main ideas: Farming & Production. The curriculum will align to the Illinois State Standards in Science, Social Science, Career Pathways, and Social Emotional Learning. The children attend field trips and engage the community in events like Movies on the Farm or Yoga on the Farm.
Project objectives:
Children will be able to
- Consider farming as a career path.
- Increase their knowledge in agriculture skills, business skills and overall environmental stewardship.
- Demonstrate their knowledge of the farm-to-table process.
- Articulate the importance having access to fresh food in an urban environment.
- Understand where food comes from.
- Become familiar with a variety of different foods, healthy meal preparation and healthy lifestyle choices