Putting Down Roots: Youth Investment in East Flatbush

Before developing new growth you need to have strong roots and the Wyckoff House Museum is preparing to put down new roots for our 2023 farm season!

This summer we are looking to continue to build upon our expanded teen Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) and community composting outreach. Our Garden Apprentice Program is now entering its sixth consecutive year and we're looking to serve eight local teens, and three returning Garden Apprentices in leadership positions with a program rooted in social justice, environmental sustainability, and community engagement. 

Building on our successes last season, which included helping collect 9,000lbs of food scraps (up 12% from the previous year!) and harvesting over 1000lbs of fresh produce for our farmstand, our teen Garden Apprentices will continue to take on a larger role in crop planning, irrigation management, being public facing ambassadors of our outdoor space, and running our weekly farm stand from June-October, providing our community with fresh, low-cost organic produce. Our GAP participants come away from the program with a better understanding of food access, the ability to advocate for our public green spaces, and important job skills to carry over to environmental careers or other job fields.

1. Get the Word Out: Send out applications and conduct interviews for the GAP program.
2. Welcome to the Farm: On-board our eight teen GAPs (Garden Apprentices) along with the three returning GAP Farm Assistants to the Wyckoff Farm and begin working together.
3. Plant, Plant Plant: Learn the ins and outs of cultivating, harvesting, and managing compost throughout the season.
4. Helping Hands: Support GAPs to be able to manage weekly farm stands and lead public volunteer skill sharing events.
5. Continue to Build: Refresh our Compost bins to handle an increase of food scrap drop offs and begin planning compost education programs for children and adults.
6. Keep It Moving: Continue to host weekly farm stands, with low-cost produce options via Fresh Food Boxes, and donating produce to local community partners for those in need.
7. Cultivate and Maintain: Throughout the growing season we will be working to keep the farm in good shape -- sow, reap, and repeat!

With our Putting Down Roots campaign, the Wyckoff Farm is hoping to help continue to address longstanding food access and environmental justice issues in our East Flatbush community by giving the next generation the tools to make real change.​

• East Flatbush is considered a Potential Environmental Justice Area by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, as defined by having at least 52.42% of the population in an urban area reporting themselves to be members of minority groups in the last census.
• Our local district, Brooklyn #17, is one of the most food insecure communities in New York City (ranking at fifth lowest out of 51) with a resounding 29% of households qualifying as "food insecure" according to recent research by the Food Bank of New York City. 
• Composting helps divert organic materials from the waste stream and reduce the impact of greenhouse gasses, which makes our communities cleaner and healthier.
• Developing meaningful youth programs for teens helps give them essential job and farming skills.