FRESH Through the Years
Growing Leaders
FRESH's youth programs aim to do three things: encourage leadership, build skills, and teach critical thinking. Youth participants learn the skills of sustainable agriculture at our one-acre farm site at the Waterford Country School. They learn a broad set of skills including how to plant from seed, how to create and cultivate healthy, organic soil; how to harvest, wash, pack and distribute everything that we grow. Crops include lettuces, collard greens, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon, winter and summer squash, radishes, green beans, peas, several varieties of peppers, including aji dulce, and several varieties of herbs, such as basil, parsley, cilantro, and dill. In addition to learning the practices of growing organically, youth learn and implement business skills to staff our Mobile Market, a roving market-in-a-bus that we use to sell at various places throughout New London.
FRESH youth are given many opportunities to build and practice leadership opportunities. They give many public presentations about the work that they do. They've presented before the Neighborhood Alliance, the New London Parks Commission, and next week will be going before the City Council. In addition to this, they've presented to local garden clubs and various community groups.
FRESH programs are also designed to address real issues that impact youth. Using popular education techniques, youth and staff discuss political and social issues- such as violence, the media, prisons, racism, schools - that greatly impact our experiences within our community, and world.