CURRENT AGE: 17
URBAN ROOTS
Urban Roots
East Austin, Texas
At Urban Roots in East Austin, working on an organic farm helps youth sustain a healthy environment and of their neighbors. In the process, they learn leadership and other life skills and get the satisfaction of benefiting their community.
According to Vivian Alston, 17, a day at Urban Roots starts out with a group warm-up then a trip to the farm, where they divide into three groups for three different tasks. For example, one group might be harvesting a crop, one might be washing down plants, and one might be planting seeds. Later they have lunch and then have a workshop on an agricultural topic, like learning about a certain plant, or a practical one, like money management.
Vivian and Steve Young, 18, have been with the program for more than a year, while Demontre Urdy, 14, Jessica Montoya-Olivares, 15, and Marisela Lopez, 16, are relative newcomers. Though part of their harvest is sold and part is donated to a food pantry, all agree that they receive as much as they give. “I didn’t have a clue about any environmental stuff beforehand, and I have learned a lot in the program,” said Vivian.
How would describe Urban Roots?
Jessica: The main idea of Urban Roots is to cultivate young leaders, to cultivate young teenagers to learn more about agriculture.
Has there been any change in environmental awareness?
Vivian: I think all the youth of this program are more environmentally aware [just by] being around people who really care about the environment and who are trying to make the world a better place. We can see, from working on the farm, that no one really appreciates farmers and that it is important for farmers to be appreciated because they grow everybody’s food.
Have you made any mistakes?
Steve: It was hot and we were planting carrots, but we planted the wrong ones. We had to pick up all the carrot seeds, [which] were real small. I felt so bad. I still think about that until this day.
What advice would you give to Americans?
Marisela: Use smart ways and not hurt the planet. Like when farming vegetables and fruits, they should not use any chemical pesticides. Even though it could be kind of hard sometimes, it's better for the people and their health.
Copyright 2009 Y-Press