We are expanding and introducing a new Aquaponics project this fall partnering with Minnesota Internship Center (MCI). MCI is a 4-campus charter school in Minneapolis, serving youth and young adults in primarily inner-city impoverished communities throughout Minneapolis. The majority of the student population is East African immigrant, 97% of which rely on a free lunch program. MIC has a mission to offer internships and learning to develop skills in self-sufficiency as well as obtaining a high school diploma.
YEA Corps has developed an Aquaponics program offering hands-on practice in sustainability and entrepreneurial skills. The program will expand on MIC’s new recycling program, whereby organic waste will be converted to a verma compost system, feeding a large-scale water tank and tilapia fish. The closed-system will produce herbs grown organically through Aquaponics. The herbs and fish will be sold at local merchants in students’ urban communities. This project begins upcoming 2010-2011 school year. We will also be advising MIC on creating a Hoop house (green house) where they will grow their own vegetables to be used for their lunch program. Seth Bixby Daugherty is partnering with MIC as their chef to cook unprocessed food and partner with local growers bringing nutritious food to their lunch room and educating the students on food science.
In the development and implementation of this program, YEA Corps intends to strengthen MIC’s mission and expand students’ active learning in sustainable and organic growing, nutrition, marketing and community involvement. Curriculum will be threaded through the school’s existing science education.
The organic garden and market project is currently in its third year. This summer we partnered with a youth organization called Street Works, hosted by Emerge and Homegrown of Minneapolis. This group had multiple gardens with a prolific harvest that they sold at the Mill City Farmers Market. They most enjoyed learning about business marketing through this entrepreneurial project. YEA would like to recognize two of the participants, Olivia Athanasselis and Michael Sapho, who have taken the project to the next level by extending their harvest and selling season through the fall. This shows great promise for these two as entrepreneurs. Support them at the Mini Farmers Market on Plymouth Avenue North every Tuesday from 2:30 - 5:00 through November. The picture below is from the Star Tribune - http://www.startribune.com/local/103420724.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU.
The Chowen Park group created a composting how to video as part of their summer project. Check out the video on our home page.
A pioneering group of six 8th graders, in Edina, are working to get green space in their neighborhood park. They are creating a petition to take around the surrounding houses in the neighborhood to get signatures that support their idea of a small organic garden in their local park. They will be drawing up a design plan on the municipal topography map to go along with the signatures to be presented and defended at City Hall to the Park Board. With great hope, they will then create, nurture and care for their garden and sell their produce at the Mill City Farmers Market. They are also interested in making compost kits and will be looking to use recycled materials. They may even get the experience of writing a grant proposal to their local rotary clubs for donations, or meet their local hardware store owner to ask for donated materials.
