We have some exciting news to share! With 16 years of experience as our foundation, Youth Farm and Market Project (YFMP) has spent the last two years documenting, naming, and connecting the most successful and effective elements of our work to outcome based research.  We are now poised for the next stage of impact, serving additional neighborhoods and extending our programming to build leadership in a next generation of food advocates.

We are thrilled to announce expansion to two neighborhoods:  Hawthorne in North Minneapolis and Frogtown in St. Paul. The expansion is possible with funding from the St. Paul Foundation, the General Mills Foundation, SUPERVALU Foundation, along with several other grant awards, and with support from neighborhood partners including Beacons Minneapolis in the Hawthorne area and Frogtown Gardens located in the Frogtown area.

Expansion work began this spring in the Hawthorne Neighborhood and will begin in the Frogtown Neighborhood this summer.  The outcomes of this expansion will include:

  • 300 additional youth each year will be engaged in summer and after school programs in these two neighborhoods by 2014, including all aspects of the YFMP program model (Youth Farmers, All Stars, and Project LEAD) for youth ages 9-18.
  • Employment for 20 additional Project LEAD staff (ages 14-18) as well as expanding YFMP’s work to YFMP graduates ages 19-24 as Farm Specialists, a role that will allow for an increased focus on employment, leadership, and micro-enterprise from within these urban communities.
  • Produce grown in these 2 neighborhoods through YFMP programming will reach at least 100 residents in each neighborhood.  All farming, harvesting, and distribution efforts will be guided by youth-led action research around food needs in each community.

Enrollment for youth that live in these neighborhoods has begun in Hawthorne and will begin in Frogtown by July 1 of this summer. If you live in one of these neighborhoods and want to learn more about participating or volunteering, please visit the YFMP website, http://youthfarm.net/employment-volunteering/ or contact YFMP Associate Director, Amanda Stoelb at amanda@youthfarm.net. To learn more about supporting YFMP’s expansion efforts, contact Executive Director, Gunnar Liden, gunnar@youthfarm.net.