Source: YOUTHLAUNCH submitted to NRP
URBAN ROOTS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0219714
Grant No.
2009-33800-20233
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
2009-03692
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2009
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2012
Grant Year
2009
Program Code
[LN.C]- Community Foods
Recipient Organization
YOUTHLAUNCH
7756 NORTHCROSS DRIVE, SUITE 203
AUSTIN,TX 78757
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
While Central Texas has an average median family income, East Austin continues to experience high poverty, low income, and limited access to healthy, affordable food. In a 2007 comprehensive community-mapping project, researchers looked at a diverse array of measures to determine high- and low- "opportunity" areas of Austin. They defined opportunity as "environmental conditions or resources that are conducive to healthier, vibrant communities and are more likely to be conducive to helping residents in a community succeed." On measures of public health and environmental quality, health care, food access, education, and neighborhood quality, east and southeast Travis County was rated at "very low opportunity." This highlights a number of critical issues in East Austin, including: low access to health care facilities; low access to affordable food; high asthma rates; lower proximity to parks and open spaces; and significantly higher poverty and crime rates. Latino and African-American populations are concentrated in low-opportunity communities, as are a large percentage of children in poverty. Poverty and food security are particularly troublesome problems in the area Urban Roots is serving. The Urban Roots farm is located on the Hands of the Earth Farm (currently on 1 ? acres and expanding to 3 ? acres in 2010) in East Austin. There are over 3,800 young people attending the high schools (4 public and 1 charter) that serve East Austin. Twenty-seven percent of the students from these schools are African American, 51% are Hispanic, 19% are Anglo, and 3% are Asian. A full 62% of these students are considered economically disadvantaged and 68% are at-risk. Not only are the neighborhoods lacking in opportunities and the levels of low-income youth concentrated in East Austin, but their schools are also failing them. Three of these schools have been classified as `academically unacceptable', and Johnston High was recently closed for consistently ranking as "unacceptable." The health problems associated with poor diet and lack of activity are well documented. Unfortunately, East Austin lacks sufficient access to healthy, affordable foods. Obesity and diet-related diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, and associated cancers are fast becoming the leading causes of preventable death. Areas of Austin with high-poverty concentrations tend to lag significantly behind the rest of Travis County in three primary health disparity areas: asthma, heart disease and diabetes. This is particularly true in the area served by Urban Roots. These health risk factors in young people are compounded by limited job and educational opportunities and the propensity for young people to engage in `risky' behavior. Studies continue to show that in order for youth to transition into positive and productive adults, they need to be more than just problem-free; they need to be motivated. Integral factors for motivating youth include a sense of safety, belonging, self-worth, contribution, independence, competence, self-control, and the development of healthy relationships with peers and adults.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
100%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
70460991010100%
Knowledge Area
704 - Nutrition and Hunger in the Population;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;
Goals / Objectives
Goal 1: Empower Austin youth to become active and informed advocates for sustainable agriculture, food security, and hunger relief by providing them with jobs, service opportunities, and life and job skills on an urban organic farm. We will expand Urban Roots from its current numbers of 15 youth participants to 30 and from 1.5 to 3.5 acres on Hands of the Earth farm. Over three years, we will hire and train approximately 75 1st-year Farm Interns and will continue training 15 returning 2nd and 3rd year Farm Leaders who will serve as peer crew leaders for 1st-year youth. Changes in participant skills, behaviors, qualities of life: 90% of Urban Roots youth and their families will show an increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables; 95% will report an increase in physical activity; 80% will report an increased confidence in their public speaking skills and leadership; and 95% will report improved job skills. Goal 2: Distribute healthy and affordable food to Austin residents. By expanding to 3.5 acres, we will increase our production to 60,000 pounds per year over a seven-month farming season, donating approximately 40% of produce grown to 6 local food pantries and soup kitchens, totaling 24,000 pounds of local produce per year. Interns will directly serve at three local hunger relief agencies, serving 12,000 clients. Over three years, we will donate 72,000 pounds of fresh vegetables. 60% of produce grown will be sold in the Austin community, concentrating on selling farm-fresh food at affordable prices in low-income areas. We will continue to have farm stands at 3 East Austin community fairs and festivals and also sell five times per year at an East Austin neighborhood WIC office. At least 60% of Farm Interns will come from low-income households. In 2010, we will pilot a 40-member market-rate Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and we will explore ways to expand this model to low-income communities in 2011. In the fall of 2010, Urban Roots will research ways to incorporate a youth-driven entrepreneurial element into the program through a farm-based value-added product that will be piloted in the summer of 2011. Goal 3: Mobilize, educate, and connect food system stakeholders We link youth, local farmers, educators, food security and hunger relief workers, various levels of government, and community members, to address critical food access and sustainability issues through our Farm Advisory Committee. Urban Roots will expand our field trip options to the farm. We will actively recruit school and after-school groups to come out to the farm. In the fall of 2009, we will begin a participatory action research project. We will train farm interns in the process of participatory research and build a wide variety of interactive assessment tools to engage residents in four low-income zip codes of east Austin. At neighborhood festivals and fairs, we will ask the community to identify community food assets and to share barriers to accessing healthy, affordable food. Youth will share final results and action plan with residents, local media, and the Austin/Travis County Sustainable Food Policy Board.
Project Methods
Goal 1: Urban Roots will build on its 25-week program by expanding the amount of land that we work on and increasing the number of youth we serve in both our core program and through class field trips to the farm. From February to May, we employ youth for a total of nine hours per week. We provide youth with after-school transportation to the farm. The 6-week summer session incorporates daily farm work and weekly Market and Hunger Relief visits, engaging Interns 35 hours per week. Through our interactive and interdisciplinary curriculum, we train the Interns on a variety of issues. Staff members lead youth around our farm on weekly observation-based farm tours and guest chefs will conduct cooking classes. We teach 2 "market training" workshops on farm stand presentation, customer service, and market analysis and regularly work on improving skills with post-market discussions. Volunteering and service are important components of Urban Roots. Last year, Interns provided 100 hours of volunteer labor at three nearby organic farms. We will increase our total service on other farms to 250 hours per year. Urban Roots regularly hosts youth and adult volunteers from all across Austin. Goal 2: During the spring, farm-grown produce is delivered to a wide variety of food pantries, primarily in East Austin. Urban Roots coordinates delivery with each food pantry and ensure that the produce is culturally appropriate and can be stored and distributed efficiently. Farm Interns also have the opportunity to tour 3 social service and hunger relief agencies and help prepare produce for fresh delivery, or help prepare meals to serve those in need. Urban Roots staff prepares the youth for their experiences in these hunger relief organizations and talks with the youth afterward to process their service experience. In fall 2009, we will plan for our pilot 40-member CSA; we will recruit for CSA members in the winter and will launch the CSA in the spring. In fall 2010, we will work with our five returning second-year interns to create a business plan to research and develop a value-added product based upon Urban Roots produce. We will pilot the value-added product in summer 2011. Goal 3: The Farm Advisory Committee will meet quarterly at a central East Austin location. The meetings focus on securing resources, volunteer assistance, instructors for workshops, opportunities for youth to speak, and input about the community food assessment, as well as exploring ways to streamline food donations and strengthen support for farm stands and farmers markets. We will map out a participatory action research project in fall 2009. Through this process, we will include Interns at every stage of the assessment development, educating them about participatory research and collectively creating assessment tools, which we will pilot at neighborhood festivals and fairs. Three times each summer, we collaborate with a local chef for our Community Lunch series. For each Community Lunch, a local chef creates a menu utilizing Urban Roots produce. The morning of the lunch, 5 Interns visit an offsite kitchen to work with the chef to prepare a meal for 50 community members out on our farm.

Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: With the support of the USDA's Community Food Project grant, Urban Roots successfully expanded our Core Youth Program (CYP) in 2010 to double the number of youth we work with and the amount of land that we work on from 15-18 youth on 1.5 acres of land to work with 30 youth on 3.5 acres of land. We have sustained this size for the past three years. This expansion allowed us to lease the farm for the full year instead of just 6 months each year, which has enabled us to implement certain aspects of the program year-round. We now farm, sell at the markets, work with a smaller crew of Graduate Interns during the fall. We continue to make modifications each year to build a program model that is transformative to youth. From 2009-2012, the Urban Roots community harvested a total of 99,730 lb. of produce using sustainable methods. Of this, 36,592 lb. were donated to soup kitchens and food pantries to increase access to fresh, nutritious food in Austin. Over these three years, each Farm Intern in the CYP worked an average of 114 hours on the farm doing agricultural work and learning about sustainable farming methods, spent an average of 40 hours in service days at hunger relief organizations, and received roughly 90 workshops on sustainable agriculture, life and job skills, healthy lifestyles, and food justice. As a group, from 2009-2012 Farm Interns performed a total of 1,215 hours of service at local hunger relief organizations. Through this service and our donations of produce, Urban Roots has made fresh, healthy produce available to over 12,000 people in the Austin community who would not otherwise be able to access this sort of food. Urban Roots has expanded our Graduate Internships in the past three years. Graduate Interns are youth who have completed the Core Youth Program and apply to come back for another year in a specialized role. With the support of CFP, we were able to expand from 3 to 6 Graduate Internships in 2010. In 2011 we added 8 Graduate Internships as a seasonal fall position: 4 Farmers' Market Interns and 4 Outreach Interns. In 2012, we refined the fall position to 6 Outreach Interns who help run markets, conduct field trips and volunteer days on the farm, and other outreach efforts. Urban Roots' community outreach efforts have also expanded greatly. Each year, the numbers of volunteers and field trip participants has increased. From 2009-2012, we worked with 8,626 volunteers and led a 1,305 students on Field Trips on the farm. Youth Farm Interns led a total of 45 volunteer days and volunteers completed a total of 8,626 hours of service at the Urban Roots Farm. Each year, Urban Roots holds several fundraisers and community events. Currently, our main events during the year are our summer Community Lunch Series, Eat Drink Local week in December, the Fall Harvest Festival in October, and the Tour de Farm in April. Additionally, we work with various groups in Austin to hold third-party fundraisers and events to support the organization. PARTICIPANTS: From 2009-2012, Urban Roots experienced a shift in the staffing for our program. At the end of 2011, the YouthLaunch Board of Directors and Urban Roots staff made the decision for Urban Roots to become an independent agency. Urban Roots has been operating independently now since November of 2011, although YouthLaunch remains the fiscal sponsor for the new organization until our 501(c)3 application is approved by the IRS. As a result, we have had significant shifts in our staff structure. Through November of 2011, YouthLaunch provided significant administrative and development support for Urban Roots. Now, Urban Roots operates with four full-time, one part-time, and one seasonal employee. The exact staff structure for each year can be found in previously submitted Snapshot reports. Urban Roots has already established a committed Board of Directors, including some members who transferred from the YouthLaunch Board of Directors. Current Board Members are Jay Ellwanger (Board President and Attorney at Law at DiNovo Price Ellwanger &Hardy), Eric Starkloff (Governance Chair and Vice President of Marketing at National Instruments), Simone Talma Flowers (Treasurer and Chief Operations Officer at Interfaith Action of Central Texas), Stu Block (CPA and Tax Associate at Powell Every & Smolik P.C.), Jennifer Clitheroe (Westwood High School PTA), Valerie Granoff (Therapist and Development Chair), Jeanie Haggerty (Owner of Thundercloud Subs), Amy Mills (Executive Director at Emancipet), and Stephanie Ochoa (Controller at Children at Heart Ministries). Urban Roots partners with an array of different schools in Austin to conduct various aspects of the program. Our primary partner schools where we recruit youth Interns are East Side Memorial High School, Reagan High School, LBJ High School, Garza High School, and Austin High School's Academy for Global Studies. In addition, we work with several other elementary and middle schools to bring groups to the farm for field trips. The following organizations have been have been recipients of Urban Roots' farm fresh produce for at least two to three years: Caritas of Austin, Meals on Wheels and More, Manos de Cristo, Casa Marianella, and AIDS Services of Austin. Other organizations we have worked with to do youth service days include Angel House Soup Kitchen, Foundation Communities, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, and Capital Area Food Bank. Urban Roots works with several local businesses to conduct Corporate Team Building Days and hold third-party event fundraisers. In the past three years, we have worked with the following companies in Austin to host Corporate Team Building Days or volunteer teams on the farm: AMD, Gemalto, National Instruments, Andrew's Kurth, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Blue Dahlia, Whole Foods Market, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Freescale, and more. The following companies have hosted third-party event fundraisers and chosen Urban Roots as the beneficiary: Edible Austin magazine, Greenling, Home Slice Pizza, and Chipotle Mexican Grill. TARGET AUDIENCES: Urban Roots' primary target area for the Core Youth Program is east Austin, although we accept youth from all over Austin in order to ensure a diverse community of Farm Interns. One core principal we hold to very strictly is to have an even number of male and female Farm Interns in the program. We also strive to create a diverse environment with Farm Interns from a variety of backgrounds. An examination of the demographics of Farm Interns over the past three years will reveal that the largest number -roughly 35-45% -of Farm Interns are African American. Roughly 30-35% of Farm Interns are Hispanic/Latino. Roughly 10% of Farm Interns are Caucasian, and the remainder are of a diverse set of backgrounds: either Asian, African, or multi-ethnic. It is clear that the majority of youth served by Urban Roots are ethnic minorities. While we do not collect socio-economic information on Farm Interns' families, from observation and interactions with them we have noted that a majority of the youth we work with also come from low-income households. The diversity of Farm Interns in the program has proven to be a valuable experience for Farm Interns, who have expressed repeatedly that at Urban Roots they become close friends with people they wouldn't normally talk to at school. Urban Roots works with a variety of groups for our Educational Farm Tours and Field Trips. The majority of these groups come from schools in low-income areas. The adult chaperones and organizers of Field Trips have expressed that these visits to the farm offer their youth a rare opportunity not only to see a farm and connect with their food, but to learn about sustainable agriculture and nutrition directly from their older peers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Through regular and consistent evaluation process, Urban Roots has collected a body of evaluative information on the Core Youth Program. From this, it is evident that there are certain consistencies from year to year. One of the most prominent is the gain that youth make in their knowledge and experience of sustainable agriculture. Youth at Urban Roots consistently score significantly higher on our evaluative post-test as compared to the pre-test on questions related to knowledge of sustainable farming methods. Another area that youth consistently report improvements in is leadership and public speaking skills. Youth who complete the program consistently tell us that afterwards they feel more confident speaking in public and feel more comfortable in leadership roles. Youth at Urban Roots learn to try new foods and to be aware of what they are eating: "I didn't really care what I ate before - if it tasted good I would eat it and if it didn't then I wouldn't and that was what I went for. But after coming here I started watching what I ate...All of my habits of what I eat and what I do have changed." In 2011, Urban Roots introduced "Veggie of the Week," an activity in which youth Interns could bring a dish they cooked at home using farm produce. For anyone who brought a dish, they received a point. At the end of the program, the crew with the most points wins a prize, usually a kitchen item to encourage them to cook even more at home. Parents of youth consistently report that their children leave Urban Roots with a more developed sense of responsibility, work ethic, and appreciation for diversity: "Urban Roots helped [my son] to be more responsible and stay out of trouble and to pay for his own things, because I'm a single parent...His eating habit has gotten better and he makes better and mature decisions. And he has learned the importance of employment and helping out at home." Urban Roots just completed our fifth year. As a relatively young program, we are just beginning to be able to assess mid- to long-term outcomes. We are currently working with graduate students from the Social Work School at the University of Texas to develop an evaluation and strategy for measuring the long-term outcomes of the Core Youth Program. Currently, we keep in touch with many alumni through regular newsletters and email communications. We have heard from several alumni who have entered college and/or the work force and who have reported that Urban Roots has helped them improve their public speaking skills, instilled lessons on public speaking and customer service, and has inspired them to develop a mindset of service and volunteer more in the community. Urban Roots' donations of farm fresh produce have a great impact for our hunger relief partner agencies and their clients. From 2009-2012, we donated 36,592 lb. of produce to local soup kitchens and food pantries, making this produce available for over 12,000 people who are not normally able to access fresh nutritious produce. Our main hunger relief partners throughout the years are Meals on Wheels and More, Caritas of Austin, Manos de Cristo, Casa Marianella, and AIDS Services of Austin.

Publications

  • Varela, J. 2010. Urban Roots Program Cultivates Eco-Conscious Eastsiders. East Side Times. East Side Memorial High School Newsletter. November Issue. p1.
  • Vickery, K. 2011. Veggies, Community, and Leadership. The Wheatsville Breeze. May/June Issue. p3.
  • Ward, A. 2012. Grab a guilt-free burrito: Chipotle donating proceeds to Austin-based Urban Roots. Culturemap. http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/07-25-12-10-42-grab-a-burrito -chipotle-donating-proceeds-to-austin-based-urban-roots/
  • Wiggins, E. 2010. Food, Food Everywhere, and Not a Bite to Eat. TODO Austin. July Issue. p5.
  • Wood, V. 2011. Be Merry: Eat Drink Local Week comes of age. The Austin Chronicle. December 2 Issue, Food Section.
  • Wood, V. 2012. Eat at Chipotle Mexican Grill to Benefit Urban Roots. The Austin Chronicle, On the Range Blog. http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/food/2012-07-24/eat-at-chipotle- mexican-grill-to-benefit-urban-roots/
  • Young, A. 2010. Urban Teenagers Grow 25,000 Pounds of Organic Produce to Relieve Hunger. What Kids Can Do. www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/2010/07_urban_teenagers/index.ht ml
  • Anonymous. 2010. Teens serve up home-grown food to the community. News 8 Austin. Austin, TX. http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/272381/teens-serve-up-home- grown-food-to-the-community
  • DeCanio, G. 2012. Growing Urban Farmers. Texas Observer. January Issue.
  • Anonymous. 2011. Urban Roots Wins our Green Grants Contest. Green American. September/October Issue. p11.
  • Evans, M. 2010. Yes, We Can. Edible Austin Magazine. Summer Issue. p67-68.
  • Farmer, L. 2011. Chefs spread knowledge to students. The Daily Texan. June Issue. p1-2.
  • Austin, S. 2010. Urban Farm Road Trip Austin. Urban Farm Magazine. Fall Issue. p94-99.
  • Bart, J. 2012. An Urban Roots Internship: Quay's Experience. Tasty Touring Blog. http://tastytouring.com/2012/05/urban-roots-farm-intern/
  • Broyles, A. 2010. Urban Roots builds community, cooking skills, through lunches. Austin American Statesman. Food Matters Section. p1.
  • Broyles, A. 2011. Austin's Eat Drink Local Week Celebration provides events benefiting Urban Roots Farm. http://www.austin360.com/food-drink/austins-eat-drink-local-week-cele bration-provides-many-2001477.html
  • Broyles, A. 2012. Openings, Closings, and Coming Soon. The Austin American Statesman Blog. http://www.austin360.com/food-drink/a360blast-openings-closings-and-c oming-soon-2382512.html
  • Caldenas, J. 2010. Urban Roots Brings Fresh Produce to Manos. Manos de Cristo Quarterly Newsletter. Available via email and mail.
  • Carker, A. 2011. Urban Roots Encourages You to Join Their CSA!. Pecan Press, Hyde Park Neighborhood Newsletter. February Issue. p14.
  • Dave. 2012. MLK Day of Service 2012: Urban Roots. Servant Church Blog. http://servantchurchaustin.org/2012/01/26/mlk-day-of-service-2012-urb an-roots/
  • Ford, L., Harrold, C., & Siva, L. 2011. Keeping It Fresh: Urban Roots. Tribeza. January Issue. p32-33.
  • Gienow, M. 2011. A Texas Charity Harvests Enthusiasm for Healthy Food. The Chronicle of Philanthropy. April 7 Issue. p4-5.
  • Gomez, D. 2011. Department of Organic Youth: Urban Roots Rap. Edible Austin Magazine. Winter Issue.
  • Grimes, A. 2012. CharityWire. Austin Eater. http://austin.eater.com/archives/2012/07/25/charitywire-1.php
  • Kossler, M. 2010. Grow Well, Do Good: Some Gardeners Donate Produce. ABC News.
  • Menard, V. 2010. For teenagers, a first job can do more than fund summertime fun. Austin American Statesman. Austin, TX. http://www.statesman.com/jobs/career-center/for-teenagers-a-first-job -can-do-more-806496.html
  • Nasti, C. 2012. Urban Roots Farmers. Field and Feast. Radio Spot & Blog Post. http://www.fieldandfeast.com/guest-bio/urban-roots-farmers/
  • Ryan, C. 2012. Urban Roots serving farm-fresh Community Lunch under guidance of superstar chefs. Culturemap. http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/06-21-12-11-54-urban-roots-fa rm-to-prepare-and-serve-community-lunch-under-the-guidance-of-superst ar-chefs/
  • Sanders, J. 2011. Growing up on the land: Urban Roots executive stays busy, whatever the season. Austin American Statesman. August 2, 2011.http://www.austin360.com/food-drink/growing-up-on-the-land-urban -roots-executive-1684768.html
  • Sun, J. 2011. Urban Roots offers opportunity to give back to community. The Daily Texan. January Issue. p1-2.


Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Urban Roots successfully implemented our fifth program year, during which, we engaged 30 youth Interns (24 first-year Farm Interns and six continuing Graduate Interns) in our Core Youth Program (CYP), and 8 Graduate Interns in the fall of 2011. In 2012, Urban Roots grew 41,145 pounds of produce and donated 15,353 pounds (over 30,600 servings) to local hunger relief agencies. Farm Interns collectively spent 2,225 hours working on the farm (average of 100 hours each) cultivating vegetables and learning about sustainable agriculture. Urban Roots engaged 1,127 volunteers in 3,042 hours of service on the farm. Farm Interns themselves led 20 of these volunteer days, as well as 560 youth and 118 adults on educational farm tours, using peer education to teach about sustainable agriculture and the importance of eating fresh produce. Off the farm, youth Interns completed a total of 345.5 hours of service at five local hunger relief agencies, including Meals on Wheels, Caritas of Austin, and Capital Area Food Bank. During the program, Urban Roots staff conducted 93 workshops based around our four core pillars: Life & Job Skills, Sustainable Agriculture, Healthy Lifestyles, and Food Justice. Each Farm Intern spent about 20 hours in kitchens learning to cook delicious, healthy meals during six cooking classes and four Community Lunches, in which youth partnered with local chefs to prepare and serve a meal on the farm. Urban Roots continued to engage the wider community through outreach and educational efforts. We stay in touch with our supporters through monthly e-newsletters with updates on the program activities. Our Farm Advisory Committee, re-named the Community Advisory Council, met three times during 2012 and also assisted with Urban Roots' Farm Open Houses. Urban Roots conducted two Open Houses in the spring of 2012 to offer more opportunities to connect with our program and learn about where their food comes from. In addition, in October 2011, Whole Foods Market and Greenling sponsored the first Fall Harvest Festival benefiting Urban Roots. At the Fall Harvest Festival, event attendees were able to play educational carnival games, eat seasonal fall dishes, and learn more about Urban Roots from youth Interns who spoke at the event. In December of 2011, Edible Austin magazine organized Eat Drink Local Week, an annual fundraiser for Urban Roots and the Sustainable Food Center. Eat Drink Local Week featured several signature events promoting local food and drink, and also brought Wendel Berry and Wes Jackson to speak about the importance of land and local food systems. In January of 2012, Urban Roots implemented a 2-day service event on our farm in honor of MLK Day. At these MLK Memorial Service days, over 130 volunteers came to the farm to assist with the planting of onions and leeks in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Urban Roots is excited to announce that with five years of success in the Austin Community, we are now starting the process of becoming an independent agency. YouthLaunch will remain our fiscal sponsor until our 501c3 application is approved by the IRS. PARTICIPANTS: The staff roles for Urban Roots have been restructured to reflect our current move to become an independent non-profit agency. Urban Roots staff for the 2012 program year consisted of Executive Director (ED), Max Elliott; Development Coordinator, Shirene Garcia; Director of Operations, Leigh Gaymon-Jones; Farm Coordinator, Marysol Valle; Farm Assistant, Blake Hill; and Youth Program Assistant, Jenny Broughton. Max took over as ED for Urban Roots in the fall of 2011, when the YouthLaunch Board of Directors approved the plan for Urban Roots to transition to an independent agency. As ED, Max supervises the development for the new organization, supervises staff, and maintains key relationships with community supporters. Shirene, the Development Coordinator, manages grant writing, event planning, and cultivation of individual donors to ensure the financial stability of the new organization. Leigh, the Director of Operations, coordinates the Core Youth Program year-round, and supervises the Farm Coordinator and Youth Program Assistant. Marysol worked in the role of Farm Coordinator through June of 2012. As Farm Coordinator, she managed all agricultural aspects of the program, leading farm volunteer days, and managing the sustainable agriculture curriculum for the youth program. Blake, the Farm Assistant from Jan.-June 2012, took over the role of Farm Coordinator when Marysol left the organization. As Farm Assistant, Blake was a seasonal employee who assisted with the agricultural work and led farm volunteer days. Jenny, the Youth Program Specialist, worked as a seasonal employee from Jan.-July 2012 and assisted to implement the Core Youth Program. The diverse partner network for Urban Roots includes farmers, hunger relief agencies, government at all levels, the business community, non-profit organizations, community groups, the school district, and individuals from across the area. Our hunger relief partners and recipients of produce donations for 2012 were Caritas of Austin, Meals on Wheels and More, Manos de Cristo, AIDS Services of Austin, Austin Baptist Chapel, Summer of H.E.R.O.E.S. youth summer camp, Posada Esperanza, and Casa Marianella. We work with several schools in the Austin Independent School District, primarily schools in East Austin, to recruit youth for our program and groups for field trips to the farm. Our Community Advisory Council engages stakeholders in the food community who guide Urban Roots in programmatic decisions. In the 2012 program year, the CAC was comprised of representatives from Tecolote Farm, Rain Lily Farm, Sustainable Food Center, People in Defense of Earth and her Resources, AIDS Services of Austin, KIPP Austin Collegiate, South West Key, People's Community Clinic, CobraHead (small business), and Texas State University. Additionally, Urban Roots benefits from several events which are sponsored by local businesses, including Edible Austin magazine's Eat Drink Local Week, the annual Fall Harvest Festival sponsored by Whole Foods Market and Greenling, and Home Slice Pizza's Music by the Slice party during SXSW each year. TARGET AUDIENCES: During the 2012 Core Youth Program, the 30 youth participants (Farm Interns) came from diverse ethnic backgrounds: 34% of Farm Interns were African American, 30% were Hispanic/Latino, 7% were Caucasian, 13% were African, and 13% were Asian, and 3% identified as multi-ethnic. Youth participants were 50% male and 50% female, and 100% of youth were between 14-18 years old. Seventy-six percent of youth participants were from East Austin, an under-served area of Austin with high rates of poverty and a well documented food desert. While Urban Roots does not collect information regarding the socioeconomic status of Farm Interns and their families, we have observed that at least 60-70% of program participants are from low-income households. Urban Roots field trips and educational farm tours provide additional opportunities for underserved groups to visit the farm and learn about sustainable agriculture and healthy lifestyles. While we do not record the demographics of field trip participants, the majority of youth who visit the farm for an educational tour are of a minority background and come from schools that serve primarily low-income areas. The adults who organize these field trips have continued to express that the youth in their groups have limited opportunities and that they are appreciative of Urban Roots' field trips. In the Spring of 2012, Urban Roots piloted our new School to Farm Initiative in which a class can visit the farm once a week for 6-8 weeks. On each visit, the class participates in farm work and an educational component like farm tours and workshops. This program is designed to give students who are not involved in the Core Youth Program the opportunity to connect with the land and learn about where their food comes from and sustainable agriculture. In the spring of 2012, Urban Roots worked with a group of 8 youth from American Youth Works Charter School (AYW) in our School to Farm pilot. These youth had all dropped out of high school and later on enrolled in AYW to obtain their degree. All but one were minority youth. According to their teachers, this was the first time any of them had the chance to work with their food and learn how to grow it. In general, Urban Roots welcomes all Austinites who are interested in learning about the farm to attend volunteer days. In this way, we serve the general community by providing hands-on opportunities to work on the farm, interact with youth Interns, and learn about food and sustainable agriculture. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
To evaluate the CYP, we conducted pre & post tests, an end of year focus group, and parent surveys for all youth participants. From our focus groups and pre and post surveys, it is evident that Farm Interns in 2012 made substantial gains in their knowledge of sustainable agriculture. On questions related to sustainable agriculture, 95% of Farm Interns showed significant improvement in their knowledge of sustainable farming methods. All youth Interns had at least two opportunities to lead a group of volunteers or a field trip on the farm, and/or to speak in public about their experience at Urban Roots. The 2012 program at Urban Roots was a unique group of Farm Interns, comprised of several Interns who were from other countries around the world, including the Congo, Tanzania, India, and Nepal. As a result, Farm Interns learned a great deal about other cultures and had to make an effort to get to know others who had different backgrounds: "I'm proud of myself because I've really made an effort to be open and friendly and to go out of my comfort zone to make friends. Now it's comfortable and I don't even have to think about it" (Maya, 2012 Farm Intern). During the program, youth were also encouraged to try new foods, especially vegetables. As a result, many of them learned that they like certain foods they had never eaten before and are now more willing to try new foods: "I've learned that there are so many types of vegetables and I have grown to love them, now I'm willing to try new things" (Charles, 2012 Farm Intern). In our parent survey, 78% of parents reported that their child ate more fresh vegetables after participating in Urban Roots and 67% reported that their child ate more fruits. Parents also reported that their children made significant gains in knowledge of food (100%) and sustainable agriculture (90%) while at Urban Roots. These gains in knowledge were accompanied by behavioral changes, with 70% of parents reporting a great deal of improvement in their child's sense of responsibility at the end of the program and 65% of parents reporting that their child showed more interest in healthy food. One hundred percent of parents stated they would "definitely recommend Urban Roots to other parents." One mother emphasized that working at Urban Roots "helped Charles [her son] start growing his own garden" and that "he cooks more, he never did that before." Hunger relief service days remain a transformative experience for youth at Urban Roots. Youth felt a sense of accomplishment from serving others, and also learned to think critically about the food system and hunger relief programs in place: "At Capital Area Food Bank, I felt concerned that a large majority of the donated food was highly processed and wasn't of the best quality. I would like to improve the quality of the food by trying to receive more funding from health food stores" (J'Vaughni, 2012 Farm Intern). In 2012, Urban Roots donated over 15,000 pounds of farm fresh vegetables to hunger relief agencies, totaling over 30,000 servings of nutritious produce for those in need. Each component of the program plays an integral part in helping Interns at Urban Roots grow as young leaders.

Publications

  • Bart, J. 2012. An Urban Roots Internship: Quay's Experience. Tasty Touring Blog. http://tastytouring.com/2012/05/urban-roots-farm-intern/
  • Broyles, A. 2011. Austin's Eat Drink Local Week Celebration provides events benefiting Urban Roots Farm. http://www.austin360.com/food-drink/austins-eat-drink-local-week-cele bration-provides-many-2001477.htmlprintArticle=y
  • Broyles, A. 2012. Openings, Closings, and Coming Soon. The Austin American Statesman Blog. http://www.austin360.com/food-drink/a360blast-openings-closings-and-c oming-soon-2382512.htmlprintArticle=y
  • Dave. 2012. MLK Day of Service 2012: Urban Roots. Servant Church Blog. http://servantchurchaustin.org/2012/01/26/mlk-day-of-service-2012-urb an-roots/
  • DeCanio, G. 2012. Growing Urban Farmers. Texas Observer. January Issue.
  • Grimes, A. 2012. CharityWire. Austin Eater. http://austin.eater.com/archives/2012/07/25/charitywire-1.php
  • Nasti, C. 2012. Urban Roots Farmers. Field and Feast. Radio Spot & Blog Post. http://www.fieldandfeast.com/guest-bio/urban-roots-farmers/
  • Ryan, C. 2012. Urban Roots serving farm-fresh Community Lunch under guidance of superstar chefs. Culturemap. http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/06-21-12-11-54-urban-roots-fa rm-to-prepare-and-serve-community-lunch-under-the-guidance-of-superst ar-chefs/
  • Sanders, J. 2011. Growing up on the land: Urban Roots executive stays busy, whatever the season. Austin American Statesman. August 2, 2011.http://www.austin360.com/food-drink/growing-up-on-the-land-urban -roots-executive-1684768.html
  • Ward, A. 2012. Grab a guilt-free burrito: Chipotle donating proceeds to Austin-based Urban Roots. Culturemap. http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/07-25-12-10-42-grab-a-burrito -chipotle-donating-proceeds-to-austin-based-urban-roots/
  • Wood, V. 2011. Be Merry: Eat Drink Local Week comes of age. The Austin Chronicle. December 2 Issue, Food Section.
  • Wood, V. 2012. Eat at Chipotle Mexican Grill to Benefit Urban Roots. The Austin Chronicle, On the Range Blog. http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/food/2012-07-24/eat-at-chipotle- mexican-grill-to-benefit-urban-roots/


Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: During the 2011 program year, Urban Roots maintained our core youth program at 30 youth participants, of which 24 were first-year Farm Interns and 6 were Graduate Interns (youth who have completed one year of the program and are continuing another year in a leadership role). In 2011, Urban Roots grew 32,192 pounds of produce and donated 12,907 pounds (over 25,000 servings) to local soup kitchens and food pantries. During the 25-week spring and summer program, Farm Interns collectively spent 3,476 hours (average of 115 each) planting, weeding, harvesting, and doing other farm work. Farm Interns also led 376 youth on 31 educational farm tours as peer educators. Urban Roots youth and staff engaged 1,143 volunteers in 2,869 hours of service on our farm, 15 of which were led by youth interns. Collectively, Urban Roots youth Interns completed 567 hours of service at ten different Hunger Relief organizations in Austin. Urban Roots staff conducted a total of 77 workshops with youth Interns, focusing on sustainable agriculture, life and job skills, healthy lifestyles, and food justice issues and service. Each Farm Intern spent about 15 hours in kitchens learning to cook delicious, healthy meals during four cooking classes and four Community Lunches, in which youth partnered with local chefs to prepare and serve a meal on the farm. To evaluate the youth program, we conducted pre & post tests, an end of year focus group, and parent surveys for all youth, facilitated by an outside evaluator. Urban Roots continued to engage the general community in outreach and educational efforts outside the core youth program. To wrap up the pilot of the Community Action for Food Equality project, we wrote a 40-page report on useful community-engagement tools for community food assessments. This report was distributed to our partner organizations, including Austin's Sustainable Food Policy Board, where we also presented our findings. Due to budgetary constraints, we were unable to implement the full community food assessment in 2011. Our Farm Advisory Committee met four times, offering guidance and expertise to programmatic decisions. In order to engage youth in classrooms and on the farm, we also developed our nutrition game-show "Veggies Make You Strong!" which teaches about plant identification and nutritional benefits of eating vegetables. We now use this game regularly with youth and adults to further our educational outreach efforts. In the fall of 2010, we hosted a Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop on our farm in which community members and youth Interns learned how to prune fruit trees from an instructor at Urban Roots partner, TreeFolks. In the spring of 2011, we partnered with Break It Down to host a Compost Workshop on the farm. Edible Austin magazine's Eat Local Week (ELW), one of our annual fund raiser events, also took place in the first week of December. ELW featured several signature events promoting local food and drink, and also partnered with the University of Texas to bring Michael Pollan to Austin to speak about his work. We continue to communicate updates to our supporters through monthly e-newsletters. PARTICIPANTS: Urban Roots program staff in 2011 consisted of Program Coordinator, Max Elliott; Farm Manager, Marysol Valle; Farm Assistant, Neysa King; Program Specialists, Leigh Gaymon-Jones and Shirene Garcia; and Americorps VISTAs, Mary Hillemeier and Ashley Carker. Elliott is one of the founders of Urban Roots, and took over the sole position of Program Coordinator when co-founder Mike Evans moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in August of 2010. The roles of Urban Roots staff shifted significantly from 2010-2011. As Program Coordinator, Max on supervised all program activities, coordinated key program events, and developed new community partnerships. Marysol, the Farm Manager, coordinated the agricultural aspect of the program, including planting, maintenance, harvesting of all crops, and managing the sustainable agriculture workshops for the youth program. Neysa, the Farm Assistant, was a seasonal employee who assisted with the agricultural work. Leigh, a Program Specialist, took over coordinating the youth program and managed the curriculum, scheduling, and workshops for that. Shirene, a Program Specialist, assisted with the youth program and coordinated outreach efforts including volunteers, field trips to the farm, and community presentations. Mary, an Americorps VISTA, assisted with events, worked with interns from Texas State University to develop workshops in our healthy lifestyles pillar, and organized media relations. Ashley, an Americorps VISTA, coordinated hunger relief donations, assisted with events, and coordinated the Community Supported Agriculture program. Urban Roots has developed and maintained strong relationships with partners throughout the Austin community. The diverse, comprehensive network for Urban Roots includes farmers, hunger relief agencies, government at all levels, the business community, non-profit organizations, community groups, the school district, and individuals from across the area. Our hunger relief partners and recipients of produce donations for 2011 were Caritas of Austin, Meals on Wheels and More, Manos de Cristo, AIDS Services of Austin, Austin Baptist Chapel, Posada Esperanza, and Casa Marianella. To recruit youth for our program, recruit classes and after school groups for field trips to the farm, and do educational presentations, we work with several schools in the Austin Independent School District, primarily schools in East Austin. Our Farm Advisory Committee also engages stakeholders in the food community who represent various organization and guide Urban Roots in programmatic decisions. In the 2011 program year, the CAC was comprised of representatives from Tecolote Farm, Rain Lily Farm, Sustainable Food Center, People in Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER), AIDS Services of Austin, Austin Independent School District, and Texas State University. Additionally, Edible Austin magazine organizes Eat Drink Local Week, a weeklong celebration of local sustainable food featuring local restaurants and several events showcasing local food vendors and suppliers. Urban Roots is a beneficiary of EDLW and works with Edible Austin to plan and implement the event each year. TARGET AUDIENCES: During the 2011 youth program, the 30 youth participants came from diverse ethnic backgrounds: 46.6% of Farm Interns were African American, 30% were Hispanic/Latino, 20% were Caucasian, and 3.3% were Iranian. Youth participants were 50% male and 50% female, and 100% of youth were between 14-18 years old. Eighty-three percent of youth participants were from East Austin, an under-served area of Austin with high rates of poverty and a well documented food desert. Urban Roots field trips and educational farm tours provided additional opportunities for underserved groups to visit the farm and learn about sustainable agriculture and healthy lifestyles. While we do not record the demographics of field trip participants, the majority of youth who visit the farm for an educational tour are of a minority background and come from schools that serve primarily low-income areas. The adults who organize these field trips have expressed that the youth in their groups have limited opportunities and that they are appreciative of Urban Roots' field trips. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
From our focus groups and pre and post surveys, it is evident that Farm Interns in 2011 made substantial gains in their knowledge of sustainable agriculture, as well as in leadership and social skills. On all questions related to sustainable agriculture, 50-80% of Farm Interns answered correctly on post tests, versus less than 10% on pre tests. All youth Interns had at least one to two opportunities to lead a group of volunteers or a field trip on the farm, and/or to speak in public about their experience at Urban Roots. In the end of year focus group, 15 youth (over half of first-year Farm Interns) reported that they felt they would be able to apply the leadership, social, and public speaking skills they had learned at Urban Roots to other areas of their lives. Farm Interns also became aware of new aspects of their community through program activities. In the focus group, five Farm Interns stated they did not know that access to healthy food was a problem in the community before working at Urban Roots. Other Farm Interns stated they had not realized that so many people prefer to eat healthy food most of the time: "I didn't realize how many people buy vegetables so I was amazed when I see how many people eat healthy and it made me...grow an appreciation for what we're doing. (Anon. 2011 Farm Intern)" Urban Roots offers youth a safe environment in which to question old ways of thinking. One way in which we do this is to intentionally work with youth from diverse and varied backgrounds. In doing so, youth learn about other ways of life and develop an appreciation for their differences: "It has been so fun to work with all of these different people. I would have never met so many different people it wasn't for Urban Roots. (Alle, 2011 Farm Intern)" Youth also expressed that they were able to overcome differences in order to work towards a common goal: growing 30,000 lb. of produce. In the 2011 program year, Urban Roots donated over 12,000 pounds of fresh produce to hunger relief organizations in Austin, totaling over 25,000 servings of healthy fresh food to people who would not otherwise have access to fresh, healthy produce. Almost all Farm Interns stated that they would like to continue volunteering at hunger relief organizations even after leaving Urban Roots. Their work at Caritas of Austin, cooking and serving a meal to homeless clients, proved to be one of the most powerful experiences: "Going to Caritas for the first time was the most impactful to me. I had done community service before, but I've never actually done something that MEANS something. I felt like I was actually making a difference in somebody's life, which felt really good. I'll definitely do that again and again, because I love it. (Christina, 2011 Farm Intern)" Youth on field trips to the farm also had transformative experiences at Urban Roots: "Our time with you all at the farm was extremely insightful. We learned some cold, hard truths of...the current state of global hunger and what we as individuals and as a collective can do to be a part of the solution. (Linda Freiheit, Amala Foundation)"

Publications

  • Ford, L., Harrold, C., & Siva, L. 2011. Keeping It Fresh: Urban Roots. Tribeza. January Issue. p32-33.
  • Carker, A. 2011. Urban Roots Encourages You to Join Their CSA!. Pecan Press, Hyde Park Neighborhood Newsletter. February Issue. p14.
  • Gienow, M. 2011. A Texas Charity Harvests Enthusiasm for Healthy Food. The Chronicle of Philanthropy. April 7 Issue. p4-5.
  • Vickery, K. 2011. Veggies, Community, and Leadership. The Wheatsville Breeze. May/June Issue. p3.
  • Farmer, L. 2011. Chefs spread knowledge to students. The Daily Texan. June Issue. p1-2.
  • Anonymous. 2011. Urban Roots Wins our Green Grants Contest. Green American. September/October Issue. p11.
  • Sun, J. 2011. Urban Roots offers opportunity to give back to community. The Daily Texan. January Issue. p1-2.
  • Gomez, D. 2011. Department of Organic Youth: Urban Roots Rap. Edible Austin Magazine. Winter Issue.


Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: In 2010, YouthLaunch successfully expanded the Urban Roots farm program from 15 to 30 youth participants. Of the 30 youth, 24 were first-year Farm Interns and 6 were "Level-2 Interns" who had completed a year at Urban Roots and continued for a second year as peer leaders. In total, youth Interns spent 3,827 hours doing agricultural work, sold Urban Roots produce at 26 farmers' markets, and conducted 303 hours of service at 8 different hunger relief agencies. Urban Roots youth, staff, and volunteers harvested 26,323 pounds of produce from the 3.5 acre farm, 31% of which was donated and 69% of which was sold. During the youth program, Urban Roots staff conducted 97 workshops for youth, focusing on sustainable agriculture, healthy lifestyles, service, and life & job skills. Youth Interns led 10 volunteer days on the farm and in total for the 2009-10 year, Urban Roots engaged 677 volunteers in 2,715 work hours. Urban Roots also hosted 369 students from 16 youth groups on educational farm tours, in which participants learned first-hand about where food comes from and sustainable agriculture. During the youth program, we held four Community Lunches events, in which youth partnered with local chefs to prepare and serve a meal on the farm, and our annual Summer Farm Fest, an open-house celebration of the farm with games, tastings, compost demonstrations, and farm tours. To evaluate the youth program, we conducted pre & post tests for all youth as well as an end of the year focus group facilitated by an outside evaluator. Urban Roots staff also conducted programmatic evaluations with all youth Interns and parents. Outside the youth program, Urban Roots engaged the general community in various ways. We attended about 10 community events, using educational games and presentations to further our outreach to new sectors of the Austin community. In the fall of 2009, we held a Greenhouse Construction workshop in order to build two greenhouses on the farm for Urban Roots' use. Participants received a greenhouse building manual with articles and resources for constructing their own. In order to engage the wider community in the work of Urban Roots, we met quarterly with our Farm Advisory Committee (FAC) and conducted a pilot participatory community food assessment in east Austin, the Community Action for Food Equality project. The FAC serves as Urban Roots' primary vehicle to connect diverse stakeholders in the food system, develop relationships, and build capacity for the local food system. A sub-committee of the FAC helped guide the CAFE pilot, which engaged the East Austin community in a conversation on how to increase access to healthy, affordable food, while celebrating existing community resources. Staff recruited and trained four Farm Interns to assist with the project and this CAFE team facilitated three focus groups in East Austin as a part of the pilot. During this year, a University of Texas student created a short film on Urban Roots, which we now use to promote the program. In general, Urban Roots communications with supporters include a monthly e-newsletter with updates on the program. PARTICIPANTS: Urban Roots program staff in 2010 consisted of two Program Coordinators, Mike Evans and Max Elliott; a Program Specialist, Leigh Gaymon-Jones; and two Americorps VISTAs, Carly Blankenship and Shirene Garcia. Evans and Elliott are the founders of the program. Evans worked to coordinate the youth curriculum, scheduling, and implementation of the youth program. Elliott worked to coordinate the agricultural aspect of the program, managing all aspects of the farm, including planting, maintenance, and harvesting of all crops. Gaymon-Jones assisted Evans to implement the youth program, and at the end of 2010 became the primary individual responsible for this aspect of the program when Evans left Urban Roots to move to another city. Blankenship coordinated hunger relief donations of Urban Roots produce and assisted to plan Edible Austin's Eat Drink Local Week (EDLW), Urban Roots' major fundraiser each December. Blankenship's VISTA term of service ended in December 2009. Garcia coordinated volunteers, assisted to plan EDLW and other events, designed and implemented the Community Action for Food Equality (CAFE) pilot assessment, and assisted with the youth program. Garcia's term of service as a VISTA ended in April 2010, after which she continued as an independent contractor with Urban Roots to continue to implement the CAFE pilot project, coordinate volunteers and field trips, and assist with the agricultural work. Urban Roots has developed and maintained strong relationships with partners throughout the Austin community. The diverse, comprehensive network for Urban Roots includes farmers, hunger relief agencies, government at all levels, the business community, non-profit organizations, community groups, the school district, and individuals from across the area. Our hunger relief partners and recipients of produce donations for 2010 were Capital Area Food Bank, Caritas of Austin, Meals on Wheels and More, Manos de Cristo, AIDS Services of Austin, Austin Baptist Chapel, Posada Esperanza, Casa Marianella, and Foundation Communities. To recruit youth for our program, recruit classes and after school groups for field trips to the farm, and do educational presentations, we work with several schools in the Austin Independent School District, primarily schools in East Austin. Our Farm Advisory Committee also engages stakeholders in the food community who represent various organization and guide Urban Roots in programmatic decisions. In the 2010 program year, the CAC was comprised of representatives from Interfaith Action of Central Texas, Tecolote Farm, Rain Lily Farm, Sustainable Food Center, People in Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER), Austin Independent School District, AIDS Services of Austin, Austin Independent School District, Meals on Wheels and More, and Texas State University. Additionally, Edible Austin magazine organizes Eat Drink Local Week, a weeklong celebration of local sustainable food featuring local restaurants and several events showcasing local food vendors and suppliers. Urban Roots is a beneficiary of EDLW and works with Edible Austin to plan and implement the event each year. TARGET AUDIENCES: During the 2010 youth program, the 30 youth participants came from diverse walks of life: 43.3% of Farm Interns were African American, 40% were Hispanic/Latino, 3.3% were multi-ethnic, and 13.3% were Caucasian. Youth participants were 50% male and 50% female, and 100% of youth were between 14-18 years old. Seventy percent of youth participants were from East Austin, an under-served area of Austin with high rates of poverty and a well documented food desert. Urban Roots field trips and educational farm tours provided additional opportunities for underserved groups to visit the farm and learn about sustainable agriculture and healthy lifestyles. While we do not record the demographics of field trip participants, the majority of youth who visit the farm for an educational tour are of a minority background and come from schools that serve primarily low-income areas. The adults who organize these field trips have expressed that the youth in their groups have limited opportunities and that they are appreciative of Urban Roots' field trips. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
From pre and post test surveys, we learned that youth Farm Interns gained a considerable amount of sustainable agriculture knowledge and skills, scoring more than 50 percentage points higher on the post-test of farming knowledge as compared to the pre-test. Interns also learned public speaking skills and gained confidence about and insight into themselves and their values. A majority of the surveyed parents (13 of 21) said that their children have shown great improvements in their communication skills, work habits, and responsibility. One parent said, "I feel this way because of the changes I have seen (in my son). The program helps interns gain discipline, appreciation for hard work, the importance of teamwork." What is more, Farm Interns left the program with a sense that they can be leaders in the community. Kayla, a 20100 Assistant Crew Leader, said, "I greatly feel that I'm a part of the food movement...I am one of many of our youth leaders of the world trying to make our communities a bit more healthy and sustainable, with a little hard work and dedication. I absolutely LOVE what I do." In addition, Urban Roots exposes youth to new vegetables and creates a safe space in which youth can try new foods and begin to develop habits that will help them eat a healthier diet: "Being at Urban Roots has made me think differently about food and farmers. Now, before I eat something I check if it's healthy and what the ingredients contain. (Vanessa, Farm Intern 2010)" Farm Interns also develop a new appreciation for sustainable farmers: "Being out here my thoughts towards food have changed...I realize how much work goes into growing this food. (Ofelio, Farm Intern 2010)" In 2010, we donated a total of 8,332.5 pounds of produce to nine different local hunger relief organizations, Farm Interns and volunteers. In the spring and summer, youth conducted service at these same hunger relief agencies, preparing and serving meals to under-served clients at Caritas, bagging and delivering produce to home-bound clients of MOWAM, or sorting food at the Capital Area Food Bank. Thus, the youth Interns' agricultural work became more meaningful as they use the food they grew themselves to nourish others in need: "I remember the first time I went to Caritas...When we started cooking and serving, I started thinking about those people who are here looking for food. I feel like I am helping a lot and I was so proud of myself. My life changed and I am a leader now. (Fille, Agriculture Intern 2010)" Each year, we strengthen our relationships with our hunger relief partners and help them devise innovative ways to store and distribute perishable produce. Manos de Cristo, celebrated our relationship in their May 2010 newsletter: "Their produce has been a wonderful addition to our food pantry as we are rarely able to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to our clients." Volunteers also had transformative experiences on the Urban Roots farm. Of volunteers surveyed, 60% reported they plan to start a garden at home or expand an existing garden because of their work at Urban Roots.

Publications

  • Anonymous. 2010. Teens serve up home-grown food to the community. News 8 Austin. Austin, TX. http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/272381/teens-serve-up-home- grown-food-to-the-community
  • Austin, S. 2010. Urban Farm Road Trip Austin. Urban Farm Magazine. Fall Issue. p94-99.
  • Broyles, A. 2010. Urban Roots builds community, cooking skills, through lunches. Austin American Statesman. Food Matters Section. p1.
  • Caldenas, J. 2010. Urban Roots Brings Fresh Produce to Manos. Manos de Cristo Quarterly Newsletter. Available via email and mail.
  • Evans, M. 2010. Yes, We Can. Edible Austin Magazine. Summer Issue. p67-68.
  • Kossler, M. 2010. Grow Well, Do Good: Some Gardeners Donate Produce. ABC News.
  • Menard, V. 2010. For teenagers, a first job can do more than fund summertime fun. Austin American Statesman. Austin, TX. http://www.statesman.com/jobs/career-center/for-teenagers-a-first-job -can-do-more-806496.html
  • Varela, J. 2010. Urban Roots Program Cultivates Eco-Conscious Eastsiders. East Side Times. East Side Memorial High School Newsletter. November Issue. p1.
  • Wiggins, E. 2010. Food, Food Everywhere, and Not a Bite to Eat. TODO Austin. July Issue. p5.
  • Young, A. 2010. Urban Teenagers Grow 25,000 Pounds of Organic Produce to Relieve Hunger. What Kids Can Do. http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/2010/07_urban_teenagers/i ndex.html