YEA Corps is partnering this fall with Minnesota Internship Center’s (MNIC) Education and Business Internship Circle site located in the Sabathani Community Center. MNIC is a 4-campus charter school in Minneapolis, serving youth and young adults primarily in Minneapolis’ inner-city communities. MNIC’s mission is to offer internships and learning opportunities to help the youth develop skills in self-sufficiency and obtain a high school diploma.

We have just completed the construction of hoop houses at the Sabathani Community Garden, which is in the back yard of the school. The students were very enthusiastic to use many tools, especially the power tools, to create the hoop houses. They planted spinach, carrots, lettuce, and a variety of herbs.  They look forward to serving and eating the produce in their school cafeteria. We have also began our vermi-composting project at two of the MNIC schools: Education and Business Internship Circle and East School, formally called English Language Academy. Ellen Sandbeck, with Laverme’s Worm Composting, joined us to create worm composts. The students were fascinated with the simplicity of this operation, yet skittish to handle the red wiggler worms. Some brave souls rolled up their sleeves and got right into the dirt. All were amazed at the process and look forward to the daily care of collecting compostable waste and seeing it turned into rich soil for use in their gardens. The science class will manage the compost, track the changes, and apply their learning in a multitude of disciplinary areas. The YEA Corps team will be involved weekly to enrich and enhance this project.

Up next is our January Aquponics project.   Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics in a closed loop ecosystem.    One part of this relationship is that the worm castings will be used to fertilize the plants and as the worms multiply, they can be used for fish food.  This will be  a unique and fascinating undertaking, so be sure to check out our blog for future updates.  The students are also considering growing spores. The business minded students have recognized the high cost and profits they could yield from selling shiitake mushrooms. Stop back to our website to get all the updates, and see our pictures.

Volunteers are always welcome! Please send an email to info@yeacorps.org if you would like more information.