Youth Organics (YO!)

The South End neighborhood is one of the poorest in the City of Albany. The South End is a checkerboard of historic homes, vacant lots and buildings, neighborhood institutions, and abandoned property. A vast number of older vacant residential buildings and vacant lots, eroded commercial corridors, a declining population, and an increasing concentration of poverty have plagued the South End for years. In addition, the South End is chronically underserved by community organizations, and in particular services for young people. Trinity Institution, the only service agency physically in the South End, has a long waiting list for all its youth programs. Other agencies, such as the Boys and Girls Club and the Albany YMCA, have had to reduce their program offerings and have similar waiting lists plus tuition and fees for their programs that make them inaccessible to many families in the South End. Youth Organics (YO!) program will have a very positive impact on the South End community because it enables youth to develop and foster deep connections with their neighborhood. The program will help energize neighborhood youth and their families to help work in their community, building relationships, learning about locally grown vegetables and plants, and having a hand in creating a safe space they can use in the future. One aspect of Youth Organics that gets more important each year is leadership development among the teens working in the program. As each year passes, we have more and more experienced gardeners who can work as peer mentors to teens who are new to the program. As these youth get older (18 or 19 years old), they can become staff members and guide the future of the program.