2014 SYP ~ Meet Abby & June

Abby is a 17-year-old who will be entering her Senior year at Wilson High School. Abby didn't know much about gardening and had no idea there were farms in DC, but when she found out about Common Good City Farm's Summer Youth Program, she was intrigued. After 6 short weeks, she's hooked, and has even begun looking at universities that offer agricultural programs. "The biggest take-away for me out of this program is thinking about what I'm going to do after high school and how I'm going to use what I've learned here. This wasn't just a summer job for me." Abby felt she was learning so much during SYP, that she even recruited her mother, older sister, and younger brother to get their hands dirty on the farm. "I wanted them to see the day to day of the farm so that we can do this at home". After SYP built raised garden beds for M.O.M.I.E's TLC, a nearby community organization, Abby realized how attainable it was to build your own garden, and has convinced her family to do so. "After bed building at M.O.M.I.E.'s I saw how easy it can be, I said 'Mom, we can do this!'". Although the program is coming to an end, we expect to see a lot more of Abby and her family on the farm! June is also a 17-year-old who will be entering her Senior year at Wilson High School. June was interested in participating in our Summer Youth Program because she cares about environmental issues and wanted to work outside; although she admitted that the most challenging part of the summer was working in the sun. During her 6 weeks of SYP, June learned a lot about how food is grown and how farms are managed. She really enjoyed visiting the UDC Research Farm as well as Claggett and Arcadia farms to see the different approaches to farming. June's favorite farm task is planting. "We've gotten a chance to see some of the seeds we planted in the beginning grow, it's really cool." When asked how participating in SYP will impact her behaviors, June said she is already teaching her family how to eat healthier. "Eating dinner at home is the biggest change. My family always cooked our vegetables, but I learned that they loose a lot of nutritional value that way. I'm trying to get my family to eat more raw food."