News and Events
UCLA Daily Bruin Coverage
Check out an article on the Empowerment Community Garden at Morningside High School
SJLI Director joins speaker series
D'Artagnan Scorza joins the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP) speaker series. Watch it on YouTube!
Youth Farmers Market
The primary purpose of creating a youth farmers market is to offer students, public schools and community members an opportunity to purchase fresh, locally grown produce. Furthermore, they provide youth/student farmers an opportunity to sell their products locally and sustainably, to benefit local businesses and schools, and to create a fresh produce marketplace and social gathering place in Inglewood
The goals of the youth farmers market are to:
-To provide access to safe, healthy, affordable and culturally relevant foods;
- Support the needs of youth farmers to sell to local consumers in the community addressing needs that are not currently being met though existing markets and systems;
- Reduce costs associated with food procurement and increase financial support to local schools;
- Support the diversity of food grown and supplied in the community;
- Lower food prices for consumers;
- To enhance community building and civic enhancement; and
- To link to our efforts with the larger food justice movement and move toward eco-conscious food production.
BENEfits of a youth led farmer's market
Farmers market programs have proven to support local farmers, increase workforce readiness skills and life skills in at-risk youth while building healthier, stronger and active communities. The Inglewood Youth Farmers Market specifically plans to:
- Build leadership skills in at-risk youth;
- Provide a community engagement framework for youth, farmers and local residents;
- Improve knowledge of agriculture and food systems components and processes; and
- Create awareness of entrepreneurial opportunities and build employment pathways.
Local youth/student farmers will:
- Open new markets;
- Create sales via distribution and local promotion;
- Identify specialty or “niche” market needs within local communities;
- Have access to healthier food; and
- Participate in pre-farmstand training, farmstand operations, weekly supplemental business development activities and experiences.
The community and local school sites will:
- Have access to affordable, high-quality food in convenient locations;
- Increase knowledge and awareness of healthy food;
- Increase appreciation for local community; and
- Expand entrepreneurial skills of youth who run farmer's market.
A youth/student based farmers market will offer access to safe, healthy, affordable and culturally relevant foods supporting the ultimate goal achieving food justice. Furthermore, this effort will provide hands-on entrepreneurial experience to youth who will learn the mechanics of owning and operating a small business.
