for immediate release

Green Youth Farm Enters Seventh Season

Chicago Botanic Garden Program Mentors Teens

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

GLENCOE, Ill. (April 20, 2009)—The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Green Youth Farm program returns for its seventh season, engaging students in 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. 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, an anonymous donor has challenged the students to earn 270% more than they have in previous years from their farmers markets and sales of their produce.

"This year we're going to continue to focus on high quality youth development, with an increased emphasis on entrepreneurship, marketing and getting good quality food into the community," said Eliza Fournier, the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Manager of Community Gardening. "Through a variety of new marketing initiatives, we are hoping to give the students opportunities to meet the goal of earning 270% more than previous years."

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 more than 100 students with activities ranging from art workshops to teambuilding exercises. During the growing season, 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.

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. 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.

“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 Director 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.”

One of the programs greatest successes has been fostering a sense of civic pride and community responsibility in participants. Last summer, students at the North Chicago farm worked with the Lake County Women, Infants and Children (WIC) office. They helped plant and maintain WIC’s community garden, as well as interacted with participants in their nutrition programs. This year, students at the North Chicago farm will teach cooking classes to WIC participants who can then purchase the farm's produce with their farmer's market coupons. The North Lawndale farm will sell their market baskets at the Lawndale Christian Health Center. The goal is to give community members opportunities to obtain fresh, organic produce, which is not available in local stores.

Students will also sell their produce to the public at several area markets:
U-Pick-It Market, Greenbelt Forest Preserve (off Green Bay Road in North
Chicago) on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., mid-July through October 10.
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 July 8.
Chicago Botanic Garden Farmer’s Market, the first and third Sundays of the month from June 7 through October 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rain or shine). Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/calendar/farmers_market for more information.

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.

A community open house celebrates the students’ accomplishments on July 29 in North Lawndale, August 5 in North Chicago, and August 12 at the Helen J. McCorkle School. Open house hours are from 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 After School Matters, Inc., Alvin H. Baum Family Fund, The Grainger Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Kraft Foods, Inc., McKenna Foundation, Prince Charitable Trusts, The Siragusa Foundation and Walter S. Mander Foundation. Additional support is provided by The Brinson Foundation, HSBC-North America, Kemper Educational and Charitable Fund, the Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Foundation, and The Sheridan Foundation, Inc.

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. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $20 per car; free for Garden members. 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. A program of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest is an organic vegetable and plant production enterprise that provides instruction in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture to residents of Chicago’s North Lawndale and West Side neighborhoods. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). The Chicago Botanic Garden is also host to Botanic Gardens Conservation International-U.S., and a member of the Center for Plant Conservation. 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.