Youth Voices of Bounty and Opportunity: High School Students' Experiences With Food and Community

• In Event: Critical Approaches to Food Systems Education Part I: Garden and Sustainable Agriculture Education

Abstract

“It has, however, become increasingly important that the town’s young people have an alternative frame of reference that doesn’t include the local mall and that gives them a respite from an economic system that treats them as if they are only consumers in training. A hand plunged into freshly tilled soil, the squiggle of an earthworm, or a tiny seed mysteriously transformed into a green life force were, at the time of the farm’s inception, experiences fast approaching the brink of extinction. (Winne, 2008, p. 55)

Every person is worthy of access to fresh, quality food. However, as local sustainable food practices surface to a mainstream audience, low-income populations in this country and all over the world, remain ignored. While healthy food is becoming a class-based issue of privilege, underserved young adults are being denied access to real-world, big ideas associated with bettering themselves, their community, and the non-human world in regards to growing their own food and the policies that are associated with food (Thorp, 2006; Wekerle, 2004; Winne, 2008; Wynne, 2006).
Garden-based research would benefit if direct input is obtained from young adults about their experiences and perspectives as individuals in garden-based programs, specifically those that deal with issues of food and community. This qualitative research examines youth perspectives and engagement in garden-based community projects in Olympia, Washington, and Medford, Oregon. The sample of 11 students was chosen from these projects that use food as a means to engage the community and educate underprivileged young adults about local food systems. The main question that the research addresses is: Why, and in what ways, are young adults appropriate agents for community revitalizing garden-based food projects? Using open-ended interviews, field notes and observations, the research draws upon theories of food access, community development, social and environmental justice, and nontraditional education. The findings suggest that when young adults are involved in garden-based community projects, they are learning life skills, developing leadership, engaging in models of nontraditional education, and retaining perspectives of grass-roots community development. It is evident from the research and emerging themes that young adults desire to accept responsibility in their community (Williams & Brown, 2011). Harnessing young people’s energy, care, compassion, and dedication is critical so that they can act as ambassadors to dispel the class-based ideologies of the current food systems, empower underserved communities and celebrate youth’s perspectives on food and place. The findings affirm that young adults need to be heard, that after-school and academic environments should employ nontraditional pedagogy, and that a caring and responsible milieu replace the traditional, hierarchal models of teacher-learner relationships (Delpit, 2006; Freire, 1970; Noddings, 1992; Youniss & Yates, 1997).

Authors

• Kara Gilbert, Portland State University

• Dilafruz R. Williams, Portland State University