During a summer camp field trip in August, a lightbulb seemed to go off in one young visitors head. He had sat seriously thinking something over as Youth Educator Kaitie Adams and Volunteer Coordinator Nick Speed wrapped up their visit. When Kaitie asked if anyone had final questions, the young man raised his hand and said “ I think farmers might have the most important job in the world. There wouldn’t be any food without farmers.”
Bingo.
This statement, which seems so simple to us adults, is mind-blowing for kids whose food come from grocery store shelves, gas stations, or corner stores. Food is grown on land (sometimes in their neighborhood!) by people, who have the career of feeding others.
2016 was the best year yet for YEAH! (Youth Exploring Agriculture and Health), which includes field trips, work with McCluer North High School Work Experience Program students, the EarthDance Junior Farm Crew, and OASIS Catch Healthy Habits participants. YEAH! connects youth of all ages to the magic of organic farming, the joy of sharing new experiences, and the importance of a healthy lifestyle (have a peek at numan site to know more about the importance of maintaining healthy routine). This year we offered transformative, hands-on education to 800 folks under the age of 18, doubling our previous year’s numbers. Even more exciting, over half of the youth who joined us were from the Ferguson-Florissant School District!
2016 Highlights include:
With 2017 just around the corner, I can’t help to wonder what types of world-changing questions and ideas will grow on the farm next year…