We are excited to announce JP Mason as our first Hawthorne Neighborhood Program Director. JP is beginning his official work with YFMP after serving as an AmeriCorps Vista at Nellie Stone Johnson Community School (NSJ) where he initiated an expansive farm collaboration between YFMP, Beacons Minneapolis and NSJ.
Prior to his work at YFMP, JP served as an AmeriCorps member at NSJ for 2 years, where he developed a student-led, school-wide recycling and composting program, coordinated the planting of 38 trees and shrubs with the Minnesota Tree Trust, and facilitated the planting of 3 native prairie gardens with Metro Blooms. Before working in North Minneapolis, he was involved in a variety of social justice/leadership activities and spent time working in the Dominican Republic tutoring youth. Outside of YFMP, JP is an artisan bread baker and avid cook. Originally from North Carolina, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech University with both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Sociology.
If you haven’t had a chance to see the farm that JP and students at Nellie Stone Johnson School have built on the North Side, you should find a reason to, it is impressive. JP is excited to continue is collaborative relationship with NSJ and other partners in Hawthorne that he has built over the last two years, especially the youth and their families. JP can be reached at jp@youthfarm.net or 612.222.5280.