Mission
Grow Hartford is a youth program that advocates against social injustices such as food injustice, racism, and adultism. Our mission is to not only bring awareness to these issues but to also motivate citizens to bring change.
Purpose
Growing the leadership of youth to build a just food system in our community and beyond.
Values
- Youth-Led: Expressed through the decision-making of youth, based on the democratic system we created within the Grow Hartford Youth Program
- Community Led: Expressed by people within the community pushing for a change rather than people from outside the community
- Equity for All: Expressed through equal opportunity for all, no matter their socioeconomic status.
- Food Justice: Expressed by providing food access to everyone in a community, no matter their socioeconomic status or cultural background
- Community Organizing: Expressed through the emphasis on getting people together to make a change and stand for a common purpose.
Academic Year
Youth meet after school for 5 – 7 hours a week to learn about the intricacies of food access and food justice in the Hartford community. Youth participate in public speaking workshops, political education training, leadership skills building training – such as facilitation, critical systems analysis, self-advocacy and community engagement practices – team building exercises and relationship building, as well as community organizing campaign building. Grow Hartford aligns itself with social movements including the People’s Climate March and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Summer Youth Employment
Youth are hired to work on our urban farm, where they learn about urban agriculture, explore Hartford’s food system, and participate in field trips. During this time, youth are engaged in conversations that explore food justice issues, in particular ways to fight the oppressive systemic structures in our food system.
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