Project Title: Teen Empowerment Program
Soil Born Farms’ permanently-protected 55-acre urban farm and education center is located within the American River Parkway, and serves as a legacy resource for our Sacramento community. Funding from Impact100 will bring Soil Born Farms’ Teen Empowerment Program to fruition, engaging 400+ underserved urban teens in meaningful experiential education, career exploration and job training. This program brings teens into the core of Soil Born Farms’ work, aimed at empowering over 30,000 residents each year to learn, grow, eat and connect.
The Teen Empowerment Program is focused on unlocking teens’ capabilities, challenging them to learn and grow, and engaging them in the creation of a resilient, healthy, and sustainable Sacramento food system. They will be key contributors in using climate-smart agriculture to produce food for our community and school cafeterias, stewarding the farm’s diverse ecosystems, creating healthy prepared meals, and educating younger children.
The Teen Empowerment Program is a capstone experience in Soil Born’s K-12 career pathway in food, health and the environment for the Sacramento region. Youth come from throughout the county, with a focus on students of low-income Title 1 schools. Many teens served are students of the Agriculture and Culinary Academies at Cordova High School, located adjacent to Soil Born Farms. Cordova High School has a rich diversity of ethnicities, with 70% of students from communities of color. Within the neighborhood, 75% of students at local schools qualify for reduced-price meals, and many families have more access to fast food and liquor stores than healthy food options.
As a result of world-class learning experiences at Soil Born Farms, teens will gain the skills to lead healthy and productive lives and will be primed to become leaders in the fields of food, agriculture, health and environmental stewardship – all vital to the Sacramento economy and community.
