Urban Roots
Jeff Conarko Grant for Innovation: $2,500
Austin's unique nonprofit, Urban Roots, cultivates leadership skills through food and farming to transform the lives of young people and inspire, engage, and nourish the community. This grant supported a new program that started in October 2018 for at-risk students that combines a digital agriculture course with five hours of hands-on time at the farm each week.
The Alternative Learning Center Partnership is a collaboration with Austin Independent School District supporting underserved young people. The program leverages food and farming as a tool for transformation in a new way while reaching a unique and highly deserving population of youth during the school day.
The program also allows youth to experience the refuge of an urban farm. By connecting the students to where food comes from, it potentially will shape student and family's food choices for the rest of their lives.