Youth Leadership
YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES
Farm
Apprenticeships
Youth are employed through the New England Farm Workers Council to gain experience
working and maintaining a farm.
Applications usually are released in May for Summer employment through
the NEFWC office. NEFWC offers a WIA
Youth Program, under the direction of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden
County, providing young inner-city people with opportunity for personal and
professional growth. Skill-building and one-on-one counseling helps young
people find and keep jobs, and a summer job program familiarizes teenagers with
the adult world of work and offers them valuable on-the-job experience. 413-315-6139 or 205 High Street, Holyoke, MA
01040
Farm crew
Youth Organizing
Committee
High
School students interested in learning more about the environment, history,
agriculture and policy are provided time after school to meet. Youth have done projects relating to water
and air quality, farm to school, and are currently developing a campaign to
improve school food. Each month there is
a youth centered event in partnership with the Holyoke Food and Fitness Policy
Council called FEEST where youth get together to cook healthy food and discuss
food systems issues. Interested youth must
fill out an application at Nuestras Raices for Diego. There is a volunteer probationary period of
12 work sessions before a youth is incorporated into the group.
Siembra Siempre!
Starting
soon, youth are going to be able to apply to receive scholarships to attend the
beginner farm training program at Nuestras Raices. Youth will receive their scholarships based
on the number of classes they attend. In
the springtime, they will be working on a piece of land as a group and
implementing the knowledge they learned from the classes. They will acquire skills in pest and
environmental management, entrepreneurship, accounting, marketing, agriculture,
and record keeping. Applications will be
made available in December 2011.
Please
contact Diego Angarita, Director of Youth Programs and Policy
dangarita@nuestras-raices.org or 413-535-1789
ext. 3