for immediate release

Green Youth Farm Returns for its Sixth Season

Chicago Botanic Garden Program Mentors Teens

Media Only:
Julie McCaffrey
(847) 835-8213
jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (May 12, 2008)—The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Green Youth Farm program returns for its sixth season teaching students all aspects of organic farming—from planting seeds and starts, to managing a hive of bees, to cooking with the food they grow and selling it at farm stands and markets. What began in 2003 as a pilot program on a one-acre plot in the Greenbelt Forest Preserve has now become a full-fledged youth development program that has mentored nearly 100 students with activities ranging from art workshops to teambuilding exercises. The goals of the Green Youth Farm are to teach students the value of healthy, local food and hard work and to expose them to careers in the rapidly growing “green industry.”

This year, 35 high school students will work on the Green Youth Farms in suburban North Chicago and the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. An additional 10 seventh– and eighth–grade students will work on the “junior” Green Youth Farm at McCorkle School. This site was created to start students at a much earlier age on a path to healthier eating and living.

“Since the program’s inception, we have watched young people be transformed through their participation in this program, which educates them about the origin of their food and how to grow it themselves,” said Patsy Benveniste, the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Vice President of Community Education Programs. “Starting with younger students gives us an opportunity to make a bigger impact on their lives.”

The original one-acre farm in North Chicago is located in the Greenbelt Forest Preserve off Green Bay Road. The second Green Youth Farm is a ¼-acre site located at 3539 W. Ogden, near Ogden and Central Park Ave. in North Lawndale. The third site, a “junior” Green Youth Farm, is located at the McCorkle School on 4421 S. State Street. On each of the farms students grow organic produce including lettuce, spinach, broccoli, raspberries, tomatoes and a wide selection of herbs.

“The students in this program come away with real-world work experience, a great deal of learning and the ability to make a positive impact in their communities,” said Angela Mason, the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Manager of Community Gardening. “While weeding, watering, planting and harvesting, they learn about being part of a team and they take pride in shaping the farm from the ground up, cooking their own food and sharing it with their families.”

Students begin planting in mid-May after school and on weekends, and start their official summer schedule in mid-June. When school begins again in fall, students work after school and on weekends through October and are paid a stipend for their efforts.

One of the programs greatest successes has been fostering a sense of civic pride and community responsibility in participants. This summer students at the North Chicago farm will be working with the local Women, Infants and Children (WIC) office. They will be helping to plant and maintain WIC’s community garden, as well as interacting with participants in their nutrition programs.

Education about conventional and local/organic food systems is a main component of the Green Youth Farm program. Led by staff, crews from the North Chicago and North Lawndale farms take turns preparing three course lunches for the farm community. Participants also prepare weekly snacks on-site with food harvested from the garden using a solar-powered oven, hand cranked blenders and food processors. Delicious dishes prepared by students include sweet bread with strawberries, herb pretzels and herb quiches.

Students will sell their produce to the public at several area markets:

Waukegan Farmer’s Market (at Belvidere Road and Lewis Avenue) on Wednesdays from 9a.m. to noon starting in June.
U-Pick-It Market, Greenbelt Forest Preserve (off Green Bay Road in North Chicago) on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon, mid-June through mid-August and on Saturdays, September through October.
The City of Chicago’s North Lawndale Farmer’s Market will be held on-site at the North Lawndale Green Youth Farm every Wednesday morning from 7 a.m. to noon starting June 25.
Chicago Botanic Garden Farmer’s Market, the first Sunday of the month starting in June through October, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rain or shine).

Participating in art projects with a professional artist gives students an even more well-rounded experience. This year the North Chicago students will learn about photojournalism with artist Christina Silva. The North Lawndale students will also be working with Christina to complete a mosaic project at the Farm.

A community open house celebrates the students’ accomplishments on August 6 in North Chicago, July 30 in North Lawndale and August 7 at the Helen J. McCorkle School. Hours of the open house are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at all three locations. Family, friends and members of the community are welcome to tour the farms, purchase produce and ask the students about their experiences.

The Green Youth Farm is run by the Chicago Botanic Garden in collaboration with Lake County Forest Preserve District, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, NeighborSpace and Umoja Student Development Corporation. Major support is provided by Abbott Laboratories Fund, After School Matters, Inc., Alvin H. Baum Family Fund, Chicago Tribune Foundation, Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust, Grace A. Bersted Foundation, Harris Bank Foundation, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Kraft Foods, Inc., Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation, Steans Family Foundation, The Siragusa Foundation and Walter S. Mander Foundation. Additional support is provided by Junior Garden Club of Lake Forest, Home Depot and Goose Island Brewery.

The Chicago Botanic Garden has provided leadership in urban greening and horticulture to the Neighborhood Gardens program for 27 years. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Gardening Outside The Wall” program is a new volunteer garden mentor program designed to sustain school and community garden sites established with the Garden’s help. Community and school gardens are built to beautify surroundings, grow flowers and fresh food, serve as teaching models, and act as catalysts for community development and environmental stewardship. Since 1981, the Garden has been involved in more than 220 community gardens.

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Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden's newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year, except Dec. 25. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $15; free for members. On Tuesdays, senior citizens age 62 and older pay just $7 for parking. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. The Garden is also breaking new ground in urban horticulture and jobs training through a 15-acre project in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago called Windy City Harvest. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.