Youth Leadership
The Protectores de la Tierra youth leaders are trained experts in teaching garden design and set-up, mural design and painting, and can host environmental workshops and educational tours at the Tierra de Oportunidades farm site. Call Daniel Ross, (413) 535-1789, to arrange a youth-led workshop for your school or after-school program.
Our activities include:
- Gardening & Farming, we have a farm at the Tierra de Oportunidades Project land and at La Finquita Community Garden - we sell produce at the farmers' market and bring it home to eat, we make our community more beautiful.
- Designing and building nature trails and environmental educational programs at the Tierra de Oportunidades land (Youth and the Land). We do environmental research and education on the environment of our community.
- Teaching children from other schools and aftershool school programs how to set up, plant and maintain gardens (click for an article on Fertile Ground collaboration with the Williamsburg School Fertile Minds).
- Educational workshops on nutrition, cooking, art, computers, health and leadership
- Homework help/Academic assistance where we get help from college students and we visit local colleges.
- We paint murals, especially at the Centro Agrícola, and we teach other children how to design and paint murals.
- We manage the stand at the Holyoke Farmers' Market.
- During the summer some of us learn more about farming at the Farm School.
- We work in the Greenhouse and grow plants for sale.
- We do environmental education and organizing.
- We work with the Project Puerta to do health workshops for other youth.
- We keep our center clean and beautiful.
- We are involved in city planning meetings and 2 of us are on the Holyoke Youth Commission, advising the Mayor on youth issues.
- We meet to plan our own program activities and we are organized into project teams.
- We also do fun things like play sports, go to parks, go on field trips, hike, camp and canoe, dance and swim.
Nuestras Raíces provides a safe place where the youth get all the help and training we need to succeed in our goals. Positive encouragement and guidance allows us to feel like we can and will succeed in life.
