As we wrap up the school year at each site, we do a few things:

We have celebrations where students learn to fillet fish, do a job interview, and eat great food.

We reflect on the year and what we have all (YEA, students, and partner schools) accomplished.

At Unity, for instance, students have come a long way. They are now leading lessons for one another on proper maintenance of the aquaponics system, where they teach how to harvest, prune, test levels, and use the tracking sheet. They are excited about selling their produce, and creating invoices and survey cards to track product quality. They are excited about learning to cook. We’ve come a long way since the fall.

At the School of Environmental Studies, we built a living wall and had another successful year in the classroom.

At Humboldt and Metro Heights, we built 2 new systems!

We find ourselves thinking about what can be done in a school year — and what more we can do moving forward. Already we plan to work with students and teachers at Southside Family Charter School, our neighbors in South Minneapolis and our first K-8.

Finally, like all other food producers, we get excited about summer. This year’s internship is shaping up to be a good one — we’ve got all sorts of projects lined up, including a lab re-build with DIY equipment. There’s still time to apply — the deadline is June 1st. Contact us to schedule an interview!

YEA Corps seeks interns for our 2013 summer cohort. Interns will serve essential functions within the growth of our organization. The internship will be based out of our lab at 44^th St. and Chicago Ave. in Minneapolis, and will include opportunities to work on lab design and building, permaculture gardening, marketing and fundraising, and curriculum development projects.

The internship is a 10-15 hours per-week commitment, for which college credit is available upon request from your educational institution. Interns will receive benefits of education and mentorship from YEA Corps staff and guest lecturers, skill building around business and non profit development, and valuable connections throughout the Twin Cities local food community.

This is a great opportunity to get involved with YEA. Contact us to find out more and schedule an interview!

The past few weeks at Unity have seen more microgreens action: University students led us to plant more trays and think more deeply about our business, and today, we were blessed with a guest speaker in the form of Chef Eric, formerly of Big E’s Soul Food and currently of Kids Cafe at North High.

Seeding more trays

Big E inspires us to grow our business

Big E told us what he looks for in a product, how to talk to a potential customer such as himself, and that we already have an edge: we’re local, our product is fresh, and we grow through all seasons. The variety of flavors that we can produce are music to a chef’s ears. We look forward to seeing him again soon, for a fish fillet and cooking demonstration and to learn how he pairs flavors in fine dining.

Meanwhile, the system at Humboldt Senior High School was built last week! Soon, fish will be added. A build is always a great learning opportunity for students — it involves math, science, critical thinking, and teamwork.

Another piece of exciting news: YEA Corps has moved on to the next phase in a grant opportunity with Opal Apple: go here to vote for us! The URL, which you should send to all your friends, is here:

http://opalapples.com/voting.aspx

Be well!

Greetings, world!

A lot has happened since our last blog post…

Greens!

Tomatoes!

Hydroponics at the U of M!

Let’s just say we kept it going strong, and came back from spring break with a bang: Having made great connections at the University of Minnesota’s Growing Food, Growing Youth event (where we also saw the hydroponics above), we were able to bring in expert guest speakers from a horticulture class on Successful School Gardens. Three talented young ladies shared their expertise with Unity students, who learned how to grow microgreens in soil, what distinguishes microgreens from sprouts, and a little bit about seed structure – going beyond the work we’d done earlier in the semester to a deeper level of understanding, and reinforcement of what had already been covered.

U students teaching MNIC students

We look forward to having these great folks back next week, as well as local business owners and chefs from the neighborhood. As we continue to apply what we learn to real life situations (growing produce, interacting with potential clients, getting the word out to the public), we see students understanding more and more – really getting it, as they say.

Look for us at the Twin Cities Urban Ag Expo and Brooklyn Center Earth Fest on April 20th — Unity students will be present at the latter, showing off their stuff.

Unity this week was a day of review, business planning, and system maintenance. We spent the first half of the workday doing a review of everything we’ve learned this semester, and looking at produce prices to figure out potential revenues for our product.

We made a chicken wire cover for our fish tank – no more fishy deaths – and did some routine maintenance: transplanting some plants into larger pots, planting more seeds, testing the water, and of course feeding the fish. Students continued to document our activities through photos!

It’s so nice to have the aquaponics system up and running – when doing the review worksheet with a student who hasn’t been around so much, I was able to say, “You want to know where the bio-filter connects to? Well, let’s take a look.” And hands on learning proves itself worthy once again. We tasted some micro-greens (delicious) and plan to harvest, package and sell a small amount next week.

This week at Unity, we were QUITE productive. On the marketing end, we set up a Gmail, Twitter, and Wordpress account for the Unity project, to be maintained by students. The marketing group wrote a post, took photos, and worked on a logo. Stay tuned to see the results of their work!

On the business end, we started going deeper into our business plan and pricing strategy. We added up our total costs so far, looked at typical prices for our products, and figured out how much we need to produce to make a profit.

On the systems side, we rinsed another 50 pounds of hydroton for the plant bed which now looks even better:

Check out those poppin' microgreens

We also came up with new ideas for containing the fish (we had a fishy suicide last week), and strategized about keeping the plants healthy. A few students learned how to check the ammonia and nitrate levels and pH of the system:

We’re excited to keep feeling out our intern candidates, and to go to the Bud Markhart Urban Youth and Food Day on March 29th, which many students signed up for this week!

Until next time…

Greetings! Sarah here, the new Unity Gardens Program Director. We’ve been going strong this semester at Unity – getting the aquaponics system up and running and learning about the processes that make it work.

After Carey left us to do some great work in Seattle’s farmers markets, we learned about nitrification, seed structure and growth, and how to put together the different pieces of our aquaponics system.

Nitrification

For those of you who don’t know, nitrification is the process that turns unusable ammonia into usable nitrates – plants’ favorite food. Nitrification is a normal step in the nitrogen cycle, which takes place among the soil, air, and earth’s inhabitants (plants, animals, bacteria, fungi). In an outside garden, it happens naturally.

The Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen is actually so important that it’s one of the main components in chemical fertilizers, which is commonly used to grow plants both in home gardens and on a large scale, but which we know is actually bad for the soil – hence why sustainable and organic farming uses natural inputs like compost, worm castings, and emulsified fish.

In an aquaponics system, we use fish waste, and like in a natural system, it happens… well, sort of naturally: The fish poop, and we use a biofilter to get it to the plants. Rather than dump a bunch of synthetically created nitrogen, we mimic nature, and just help the nitrogen along. In this way, one of our products (the fish) feeds another (the plants).

Seed Structure and Growth

Growing plants, of course, is a key part of our system. So, a few weeks ago we learned how the growing of plants begins. We looked at seed structure, learning that like humans, plants start off as embryos surrounded by a food source (endosperm) encased in something protective (seed coat or testa). We learned that once optimum conditions of moistness, temperature, and oxygen levels are reached, the seed coat can break and the seed can germinate. We learned that roots are the first growth, followed by the emergence of green – the cotyledons, or first leaves. We even learned why the seeds we started back in January didn’t make it: they need water and attention.

Curtis wondering about the plants and checking out the water finally getting to them

This week, we started new seeds in hydroton and brought in some transplants to get our system going.

TJ and Kirk transplanting

The System

Speaking of the system… it’s all done! We put the fish in it this week, along with the plants and seeds, and will be harvesting salsa ingredients soon enough. As we grow our entrepreneurial skills, we’ll make, can, and sell the salsa, helping both ourselves and the health of our community!

Don’t take my word for it, though – check out the blog posts written and photos taken by students in the Marketing group.

Hello to all my blog lovers! Have you ever grown and tasted fish? Well if you haven’t our school is helping the environment by planting plants and growing fish all in one. You’re probably saying “OMG really?” or “WTF.” These are the same words I said when I found out. But you can help the environment and you because by you buying the things we sell it can help you too. So if you want to know where to buy these delicious foods you can come to 2500 Fremont Ave N.

Joyce

One of our work rooms - you can see the hyroton before it went into the system

Hi my name is Khyaecia ______ and we are doing a project on how to make the community better. How we are going to do that is we are growing plants and fishes. Also we are making a biofilter so that the fish and animals will grow. Our biofilter is basically designed like the fish and the plants grow in the same way.

Khyaecia

Getting the fish tank in place

Hello!! To blog lovers!! Welcome to our school. We are building aquaponics, we are here to show you how we work as peers and classmates and a community.

Tyland

Along with all we’ve been doing at Unity Gardens, YEA Corps is expanding and working with more students! We’ll be starting a new program at Humboldt Academy within the next few weeks, and even more next year. We’re also redesigning our office, and can’t wait to have you all there. Stay tuned!

This is Carey, a Program Manager of the Unity Gardens program for YEA Corps. I’ve been writing blogs for the past few months with updates of an aquaponics project that YEA launched at a high school in North Minneapolis. I was initially pulled to YEA for it’s focus in sustainable and entrepreneurial education. Through my work with YEA I’ve been immersed in the challenging and exciting ventures of teaching students about agriculture, the environment, aquaponics, and other related subjects. It’s been exciting to observe the positive trends in emerging environmental education programs in Minneapolis and around the country. All that I’ve learned has given me a great amount of hope in shifting education systems and providing the next generations with the knowledge and tools to face oncoming environmental challenges. I was lucky enough to become a part of YEA Corps through a Grand Aspirations grant, and I’ve been very appreciative of the chance to work with these organizations and on the Unity aquaponics project.

Above is a picture of YEA staffers running an interactive ‘Systems’ activity with Unity students.)

interactive ‘Systems’ activity with Unity students.)

As many of us 20-somethings are experiencing, the world of employment can be difficult. I am 22 and recently graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies, and am in the early stages of grounding my feet in a career path that fits me. I’m currently in the process of taking on a new job that’s located in Seattle, and thus ending my part-time position with YEA Corps and Grand Aspirations. The relationship I’ve made with Grand Aspirations has pushed me to grow and to gain professional experience that lead me to getting the position of Food Resource Coordinator at the Pike Place Food Bank. The knowledge I’ve gained and work experience I’ve gained from Grand Aspirations, Summer of Solutions, and YEA Corps has propelled me into new opportunities in a field I’m passionate about. I will stay connected to YEA Corps and Grand Aspirations, and will definitely be a lifetime advocate for the work of these organizations.

Program Manager, Sarah, is working with a student to prepare soil for planting the Unity Gardens first seedlings.

The Unity Gardens are launching the Spring Semester tomorrow with an awesome team of YEA staffers who will be leading the program into the summer. I won’t be able to witness the progress of the program and finishing construction of the aquaponics set-up at Unity, but YEA has developed a solid team to carry out the project. YEA expects to have the aquaponics system in production by February, and tomorrow we will push the process along by planting tomato, pepper, and onion seedlings with the students. A challenge at Unity is actively engaging students in the program, but YEA has reached more than 40 students in some capacity since the beginning of the school year. I was often surprised by the performance of students, like Tom’s commitment to painting the aquaponics classrooms at Unity, Marlecia’s holistic understanding of the systems and the project, or Ashley’s excitement about writing a blog on Unity Gardens. The students are really taking ownership of Unity Gardens, as they should. Ashley is a student at Unity, and below is a blog she wrote for Unity Gardens.

“We are Unity Gardens and we are planning on making our own salsa from aquaponics. Up until now we have been doing science and math. We also get credits for participating in the project. The project consists of 4 teams: construction, marketing, business, and sustainability. We’ve been painting the classroom, building the aquaponics systems, and learning how the system works by doing some worksheets. So far for example we learned that the garden is on top of the fish tank and the tank is on the bottom…now we are ready to rock and roll!”

Carey deVictoria-Michel

Program Manager

Hey ya’ll, this is Carey here, a Program Manager of the YEA Corps initiatives at Unity MNIC. I’ve been providing updates each week on the progress of the Unity Gardens program that launched back in September. Below are updates from the past two weeks on the Unity Gardens, soon to be blooming and bursting with life! The YEA team at Unity works to manage and direct the students towards our project goals, and these students never fail to bring energy needed to accomplish them. We have spent the last two work sessions at the school directing the energy of the students towards painting projects, construction of biofilters, project planning, and engaging worksheets. On December 5th our team, Zach, Saeed, Mike, and myself came to Unity with painting supplies, constructions tools, and materials for the aquaponics systems. We also brought in the first garden bed for the systems. Greg, a student, helped the team to bring the garden bed from the parking lot up to the classroom, which is not as easy as it sounds. The bed is four by eight feet, and however large, fits very well in the project room.

YEA Corps program manager, Saeed, and Mike are constructing the biofilter stand.

Rere, another student, is in the marketing group that focuses on managing media, product design, branding, and other aspects of the project. Last week, Rere was talking about how she was ready to plant and grow vegetables. When the garden bed was brought into the school she asked if we would be planting seeds that day. Students will be planting seeds very soon, but not till after the Holidays. The students are engaging in different aspects of the project but they will all take part in the process of producing fish and plants through the Spring. This project is great in many ways, and one positive aspect is giving the students opportunities to work on a wide variety of subjects. Students like Rere, focus on planning and marketing of the project, and also participate in the more hands-on learning activities.

Unity students are continuing construction.

The following week at Unity, on December 12th, was another busy and accomplished day with the crew. There is a buzz in the school this week around the excitement of the Holidays and the rush to complete schoolwork before the end of the semester. The YEA team got to Unity and kicked the day off with two awesome worksheets on aquaponics construction and sustainability. One worksheet was based off a wood biofilter stand that the students have completed constructing over the past weeks. They answered math-based questions on building metrics and cost of materials. The wood biofilter structure was in the classroom and this made the worksheet more interactive. The YEA team relates our assignments to experiential learning projects, like building a

Unity students, Khyecia and Tyland are signing their name on the wall of newly painted Unity Garden room to signifiy the work they accomplished this semester.

biofilter, and allows us to provide hands-on education in schools. Khyecia, Unity student, brought up a great discussion in our group about the high cost of the wood and screws needed for the biofilter structure. She was surprised about how expensive many of these items were. This brings to light the reality of a business-based project like this, and the realities of expenditure and planning in business. The Unity crew will continue to think about and work on business based situations through the year.

The YEA team is definitely enjoying our time at Unity Minnesota Internship Center, and the students continue to take on project roles and completing important tasks for Unity Gardens. There is one more week before the Holiday break, and next week we can celebrate what the students have accomplished this semester and look ahead to what will happen next.

Carey deVictoria-Michel

Program Manager

Greetings YEA Corps enthusiasts, new comers, friends, and supporters,

This is my first blog for YEA Corps as Operations Director, and it comes to you at a very important time. Our message of empowering, sustainable, and entrepreneurial education for youth using hands on eco-systems is booming like thunder through the sky on a stormy night in the Twin Cities. And for this we have a long list to thank including in no particular order: Emma, Tammie, Kris, MH, Fran, Ayan, Curtis, Carey, Saeed, Cristina, Terri @ Grainger, @ RBC, Jon and Julie, Mary Karius @ Hennepin County, the LLCMR, Shawn, KJ and Elise and the students @ NE Metro, Mr. Nord, Mr. Boddett and the students at SES (what up Darion and Emily) @ SES, Nicole, Mitch, Amy and Kevin @ MNIC and the Unity Fam, Henry @ Open Window Productions and many more.

The allusion to this being a very important time is multi-layered, however primarily it is important because there has never a more important time than now. The present. If you are reading this, it is for a reason and that reason just might be - you guessed it - to contribute to our mission. It is also an important time because we have just posted a major update on our website, with all of the latest and greatest news about our organization and what you can do to get involved. Take some time to explore and “enjoy yourself”.

The YEA Board of Directors is the epitome of professionalism and strategic navigation. This year alone they have done amazing things for our operations, including procuring our new office and lab, hiring the first YEA staff, successfully courting donors who understand and can see the impact we are having, and putting on the “sustainability day” event which was a major milestone for YEA. If you haven’t already, you should definitely check out the sustainability day video put together by Henry @ open window productions (it’s on the home page). Also, right now the Board is focusing on a potential organization name changes! Exciting stuff!

The operations team has been working hard and putting in long hours at each of our partner schools. Eastview Academy has already had an incredible journey this year, with their 40 gallon Aquaponics system constructed, their peppers and tomatoes germinated, and their tilapia already swimming about in the system! The students there have really impressed me and come together for a unique and empowering experience in sustainability, entrepreneurialism, and construction. An awesome experience - and they are just getting started. Don’t take it from me, take it from Jevontay (‘Tay) Moore-Brookins who says “YEA corps is fun, cool, and educational”. Boom.

What can I say about the School Environmental Studies @ the MN Zoo that has not already been said? They rock – HARD. Shout out to the students of Mr. Nord’s 3^rd and 4^th hour animal studies classes. They have been astounding me with their creativity on sustainability with ideas that utilize school waste streams as sustainable resources such as trash, crickets, and an idea to build a bat habitat to harvest guano for fertilizer. They are also undertaking to build a mushroom and algae cultivation system, and 2 Aquaponics systems. Many of the students here impress me, including one of the most competent hard working high school students I have ever met named Kyle, and two of our Summer Interns, Darion who likes to rock out on the bass guitar and do some wicked parkour, and Emily who is very gifted at aquaponics.

And finally on the, North Side of the City, the North Side of Minneapolis @ 2507 Freemont Ave to be exact, we have our longtime partner MNIC Unity who has been going through transformative experiences with our project. The chance for the students at Unity to tour a commercial Aquaponics facility, learn about entrepreneurship and empowerment, and launch a business of their own has been HUGE and well received. The student’s at Unity are hungry for something real. They are stepping it up, and leaders are starting to emerge. Marlicia and Thomas have been leading the way and are really getting an amazing experience with the project that many high school students otherwise wouldn’t get. For those of you who don’t know, many who think they do know would say the students at Unity are “underprivileged”, and perhaps mention statistical demographics or the location where their school is located as proof. I don’t see that here. I see high school students just like all the others. They are however often living through unique circumstances which no one seems able to to find a cause for, despite many attempts. But for the most part, they view these circumstances as just a regular part of their life. On Wednesday Nov. 14^th, we were on site first hand for a glimpse of these circumstances in the neighborhood. Rival gang opposition resulted in an escalating fist fight on the block, culminating in a gun being pulled. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, just a bit shook up. But you know, after the shock of this turn of events – together we were able to turn the situation into focus. Perhaps it was thankfulness in the results of the situation that danger was avoided - and no one was hurt. But for whatever reason, this day was THE MOST productive the students have had yet. They partially completed construction on their bio filter stand, and painted one of their two fully designated project rooms for aesthetic effect. Since then, they have finished painting, finished building the bio-filter stand, and are setting up the Aquaponics plant bedding. Momentum is growing and the energy is great. Unity Gardens is well on the way to becoming an entrepreneurial community business.