Kansas City Urban Youth Center - Offering Urban Youth Christian Hope, Community and Wholeness

Gardening Program Reaps Recognition & Results

The gardening program at the Kansas City Urban Youth Center (KCUYC) may only be a few years old, but it's catching the attention of individuals and organizations both locally and nationally.

The Eating From the Garden Program, a product of the University of Missouri Extension Office, recently held a contest to identify the best garden funded by their program. Three master gardeners judged the 25 local gardens entered in the contest . . . with our garden taking home first prize! "A job well done," described one of the judges, commenting on the landscaping (". . . the most beautiful garden . . ."), quality soil and mulch, and good accessibility.

That wasn't the only first prize, though. The National Garden Association awarded the center its 2010 Youth Garden Grant, as one of the 100 winning programs selected from among more than 1,000 kids' gardening programs nationwide. Citing a "high level of commitment to youth gardening," the award went on to recognize the KCUYC's gardening program for its clearly stated goals and curricular connections, exemplifying a "well-planned program that is likely to be well-maintained and sustainable."

Students and staff take a definite "hands-on" approach to the gardening program, which takes advantage of the full spring, summer, and fall growing seasons. As a part of the center's "Eating from the Garden" and "Healthy Choices" curriculum, students learn about the science of horticulture and gain practical experience by cultivating the soil beds, planting seeds, weeding and watering the beds, and harvesting the eventual crops. Current plantings at the center�s Courtyard location include strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, collard greens, and potatoes. Harvested items are prepared and eaten by the students, shared with community families, and even sold to local community businesses.

This year's garden gained three new vegetable beds, thanks to the efforts of volunteer partners from Pleasant Valley Baptist Church (Liberty, Mo.). Among other work projects, the group also helped to install a new rain barrel and soaker-hose irrigation for the garden.

In addition to the garden in the backyard, the center also received a fresh look this past spring when more than 100 tulips brightened its front landscape. Last fall, students from the center participated in a program called "Tulips on Troost," which seeks to beautify the neighborhoods along the Troost Avenue corridor where the KCUYC is located.

Volunteers with gardening/farming experience are an invaluable resource to our students! Share your love of "all things green" with KCUYC kids by contact us at volunteer@kcurbanyouthcenter.org.

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