A CitySprouts Summer
Reflecting on the Summer young leaders program
It has been a fun and fulfilling 5 weeks in our Summer Young Leaders Program (YLP). Located at CitySprouts school gardens in Boston and Cambridge, the days have flown by despite the two heat waves we had this summer. The gardens benefited greatly from eager youth working hard to make sure they are lush and full of growth. Without these future gardeners the soil and plants would be sadly parched!
Community agreements by youth at the Haggerty summer site
Our YLP summer staff created a program full of science, gardening, field trips, and most importantly fun games and activities for middle schoolers ages 11-14. Over the 5-weeks these young people have accomplished so much! They went on exploratory walking field trips to learn more about their communities, they practiced engineering skills, learned skills necessary to maintain and start their own gardens, and learned how to cook with the produce that was grown in the gardens.
CitySprouts summer staff 2022
Our program is rooted in the school garden while providing youth with new and interesting ways to engage with nature and explore their community. YLP groups had the chance to explore Fresh Pond flora and fauna with a local ranger, and observe multiple types of gardens. Some visited the vertical gardens in the Harvard Smith Center, and others volunteered at Hurley St. farm in Cambridge, and OASIS and West Cottage farms in Boston. One group even visited the Dark Matter garden hosted by a local community member.
Solar oven building at Orchard Gardens
A great bean harvest!
Pollinator gardens keep the bees busy!
Keeping the corn thriving!
The key to garden pesto is a generous herb harvest
S’mores about to bake in the solar oven
Enjoying the sprinklers on the last day
Consistent watering gave the plants what they needed to bear fruit
One highlight from the summer was our field trip to the floating wetlands on the Charles river, hosted by the Charles River Conservancy. For some of our kids it was their first time in a kayak. We are happy to say that no one tipped and went for a swim in the river! Kayaking together is just one example of the various field trips the Young Leaders enjoyed this summer.
Paddling around the floating wetland
Garden Pesto!
The Young Leaders engaged with science and practiced the engineering design process to create their own hydroponic gardens, solar ovens, made compost tea and even tested the soil for important nutrients necessary for plant growth. Their hard work in the gardens paid off with the chance to harvest and eat what they cultivated!
Making compost tea
Although these wonderful experiences have come to an end with the completion of our 5-week program, we look forward to welcoming a new group of kids this fall who will participate in our YLP Afterschool clubs in East Cambridge, Roxbury, and Dorchester. We strive to offer year-long garden based experiences for all youth who are interested or want to try something new. We look forward to updating you soon with more details and information on all the exciting things happening at CitySprouts.
To learn more about CitySprouts’ Young Leaders Program and to sign up for our afterschool clubs, please reach out to Solomon Montagno, Program Director at smontagno@citysprouts.org.
Exploring Fresh Pond in Cambridge