Stronger Together
Fighting off their nerves, a group of teen farmers watched as 16 scholars from around the world stepped off a bus parked outside the River Road Farm. They were from Argentina, Mongolia, Eritrea, Israel, Pakistan, the Ivory Coast, and more.
It was a warm August morning and the teens had spent long hours preparing to welcome and lead this group of adults. Now it was their time to shine.
The teens who work in Garden City Harvest’s Youth Harvest Project often struggle with trust issues. Some are insecure and withdrawn. Learning to be vulnerable isn’t easy. Welcoming a large group of strangers to the farm was an opportunity for them to use the skills they’d been building in the safety of our work community. They planned to lead the scholars in icebreakers and discuss their own journeys. And lead they did.
On a fellowship through the University of Montana’s Mansfield Center, the visitors were interested in learning new ways to prepare youth for the workforce in their respective countries. And this youth-based, service-oriented employment program would provide some important clues.
The Youth Harvest Project is one of several programs at Garden City Harvest that aim to reduce food insecurity and build meaningful connections. This program hires teenagers who face more barriers and challenges than most. It builds job and life skills, trust and confidence, and creates a sense of belonging.
Staffers Tami and Marit design weekly workshops teaching basics like making change at Mobile Markets, and in-depth work with EmpowerMT on building bridges between diverse groups of people.
While staff provides the structure, it is the teens themselves who create change. They choose to challenge themselves, stepping out of their comfort zones, and often flourishing through the process.
Please support this transformative work with a gift today.
That summer morning, I watched as the teen farmers and their visitors worked, chatted, and found what they had in common. Folks shared how they call to the chickens, which translated similarly in all the languages.
The youngest youth and a Biology professor from Mozambique talked about mangrove forests and life philosophies as they weeded the onions. That connection was the teen’s favorite part of the day.
Watching this visit unfold, I saw the personal mountains these teens had climbed over the season. That was understood, too, in the expressions of the visitors who listened and learned from these young people. The youth not only led a group of professionals for a morning of work and conversation – they provided inspiration.
One of the participants, Laura, hailing from Romania, was struck by the program, writing, “…listening to the life stories of the [teenagers], solving conflicts, paying attention to others’ needs, sharing personal issues with the group, creating interpersonal bonds – all this whilst working hard for the benefit of the community – this is a great idea to implement in the local communities in my country for the good of our young generation and of us all.”
That day, the universal importance of respect, empathy, and connection was at the forefront in our farm fields. The visitors made the youth feel valued. They left the teens with a greater sense of pride and helped them to see their world through a broader lens.
And in return, I hope what happened that day at Garden City Harvest – in Missoula, Montana – will travel around the world in the hearts and minds of those 16 scholars to be seeded and watered elsewhere.
Stories like this remind me that we are, indeed, stronger together. Please join us with a gift today. Together we will create meaningful connections – in our community and beyond.
Our goal is to raise $100,000 by December 31! Gifts received by the deadline will be matched (doubled, essentially), thanks to the generosity of three anonymous donors.
