An outreach program of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum |
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Growing Good MN is a teenage work expeience program for urban teens. Growing Good uses the garden as a tool to create teenage skills development and opportunities in the following areas:
- First time job skills
- Horticulture skills
- Entrepreneurial skills
- Communication skills
- Leadership skills
- College and career exploration
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Small work teams of youth with an adult facilitator are presented with a garden based work challenge for their summer employment. Each summer provides a new challenge for the youth workers to build on previous experience and challenge new growth and opportunity. Growing Good Minnesota offers two distinct types of work opportunities: CityFresh Entrepreneurs and Community Youth Leaders.
City Fresh Entrepreneurs grow business skills through garden based work challenges:
- CityFresh Veggies-grow specialty produce and sell to restaurant chefs.
- CityFresh New Products- take a garden product idea and bring it to market.
Community Youth Leaders are growing plant knowledge and awareness in the community:
- Growing Good Pop-up Gardeners: Bring innovative urban garden models and and plant based learning to a variety of non-profit, small business, and institutions serving the inner city.
- Growing Good Communications: Create and disseminate communication tools and methods to share personal and program impacts.
- Growing to Lead: Grow leadership skills with practice in the program and the community.
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Between 40 and 50 youth are employed every summer. Supporting their work are a team of adult facilitators and many community partners. Youth are invited to apply through community partner organizations. Growing Good Minnesota relies on a variety of partnerships to support the youth work experience. These partnerships include:
- Youth Employment Partners: Urban youth serving organizations that recruit, hire, and handle HR for youth workers, and provide garden and meeting space.
- University of Minnesota: Many departments and programs at the University of Minnesota support and enhance the work experience programs.
- Community Partners: The non-profits, small businesses, restaurant chefs, and institution professionals who take time to meet and work with Growing Good Teenagers-helping build skills, insights, and relationships for their future.
- Other urban youth employment and youth garden programs in the Twin Cities:
- Program Funders: The individuals and foundations that share in the mission and financially support the work.
- Contact Arboretum Education for more information on how you or your organization can get involved. arbedu@umn.edu 612-301-1210.
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2018 Summer Job Openings
Please contact the Arboretum's Education department for further information 612-301-1210
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