Project YouthBuild Students Learn About Gardening

Project YouthBuild is a second-chance and leadership program for youth between the ages of 16-24 that come from underserved backgrounds, looking to establish a bright future for themselves. PYB students earn a high school diploma by fulfilling academic requirements along with community service requisites. At a minimum, students need to obtain 350 hours of service throughout their cohort’s 9-month program in order to graduate. Starting Fall 2022, Project YouthBuild members have been earning their volunteering hours by partnering with the Gainesville Giving Garden.

During one of their first volunteer sessions at the farm, students harvested and processed roselle for a partner nonprofit of the Giving Garden, GNV Herbal Aid. (See photos below!) Students learned that roselle is a medicinal plant that can be used for aiding digestion, preventing menstrual pain and that it has anti-inflammatory properties, amongst other benefits. After processing, students crafted recipe cards with instructions on how to make roselle tea. Bags of dried roselle with recipe cards were delivered to GNV Herbal Aid, which then distributed the roselle to community members who cannot easily access medicinal plants.

Since students started volunteering in early Fall, Project YouthBuild students have helped out the Giving Garden in many ways - from planting crops, to weeding, to mulching, and more. One of our favorite days with the students was in the early Winter of 2023, when students shared that they were inspired to start their own gardens. It was fun to talk about how to begin their own gardens and how to find useful educational materials online and in our community. We love seeing that exposure to the Giving Garden sparked excitement and inspiration for some Project YouthBuild members.

We are grateful to partner with the incredible young people that participate in Project YouthBuild’s program. We have been inspired by the student’s drive and determination to overcome the challenges they’ve faced to create a brighter future for themselves. Here at the Giving Garden, we operate in a culture that acknowledges the power of collaborative learning. The Giving Garden team sees itself as humble learners, who are always evolving ourselves and our operation by learning from community. No matter the age, background, or experience of volunteers, we consistently learn from those who come to the farm.