Generation Volunteer: Creating Opportunity for Youth Engagement

By Liz McLachlan
development associate
Lighthouse of Oakland County

 Calen Knight is no ordinary nine year old. Last June, she independently organized a school-wide food drive which she donated to Lighthouse of Oakland County's emergency food pantry in Michigan. The project was part of a charity she helped created called CalenForKids.org, which she founded at the age of eight. 

"My parents have taught me that I am so lucky to have many nice things like toys, books, DVD's, and new clothes. So, now I want to help other children have something to smile about too," says Calen. The goal of CalenForKids.org is to create awareness within other children in hopes that they will also realize their good fortune and become inspired to lend a helping hand.

Calen with emergency pantry supplies

Calen’s early commitment to volunteerism is impressive, but not that unusual. In its annual survey, VolunteeringInAmerica.gov reported that 8.3 million volunteers between the ages of 16-24 dedicated 844 million hours of service to US communities in 2010.

At Lighthouse of Oakland County, we see the start of the new school year as the perfect opportunity to lay the foundation for youth volunteer engagement.  Benefits to the volunteers include:

• Volunteering can teach skills that they will use later in life.
• Volunteering can teach them compassion and responsibility, and gratitude for the things they have.
• Children who volunteer are less likely to engage in risky behavior, more likely to feel connected to their communities, and tend to do better in school. (source: World Volunteer Web)

Boy Scouts from Troop 1032 volunteering in the
Lighthouse food pantry, which serves ~650 people/month

At Lighthouse, our main priority is to develop solid relationships with  local schools, churches, and families. Reaching out to this core audience allows us to share the work we do in a familiar environment known to the children. This is necessary because many have never volunteered before; this is our opportunity to really hear what the student's volunteer interests are. From that point forward, teachers, parents and students are able to identify meaningful projects that resonate with their group.

Does your organization offer projects for younger volunteers and their families?  The following strategies can be incorporated into existing volunteer recruitment, planning, and placement activities to encourage community involvement and adapting volunteer projects for younger volunteers.

1.    Know your audience. Review your current donor base and volunteers actively participating within your organizations. Are there schools, churches, or groups who work with children? Contact these individuals first; invite them to tour your location with their children.

2.    Develop age-appropriate opportunities. One of the biggest mistakes an organization can do is offer an opportunity that is not meaningful to the volunteers. Yes, we all have the "must-get-done" projects, but when you develop a project that leaves a lasting impression, those volunteers will be back. Kids get bored easily, but when they are excited and engaged they will remember that project long after they leave.

3.    Encourage volunteer autonomy. Kids have great ideas. If you are in need of a food drive, get the kids involved in the planning process. The more they "own" their project, the more successful they will be in achieving it.

Lilly created "Parties in a box" to provide
birthday supplies to other children

4.    Planning is key! Families are busy and timing volunteer projects is crucial to successful volunteer engagement. Take time to know school schedules and plan projects around after school hours and planned days off. Offer projects on holiday breaks, teacher development days, and half-days.

5.    Don't forget teams. Do you need a large project completed? Coaches and parents are great resources to help get the work done quickly. Volunteering is a great opportunity for team building.

These are just a few ideas to get started and now it's your turn. We would love to hear how your organization engages kids in community service and volunteer projects.

Please leave a comment below and share your ideas. You can also read more stories of our young volunteers here.

Back to (After)school

Carrie Sauer, NeighborWorks America
intern, Northeast Region

Education is said to be the great equalizer for students from all social and ethnic backgrounds. However, many youth from distressed neighborhoods lack the resources and the support to successfully navigate the opportunities that schools or the community may provide. Youth in such situations are apt to feel disconnected from their school, to feel socially isolated, and experience an overall sense of unpreparedness. The solution? Schools and communities should focus on engaging the students. 
   
This is exactly what the folks at Madison Park Community Development Corporation in Roxbury, Massachusetts are doing as a part of their newly established mentoring initiative, “the Circle for Success Initiative (CSI).” This effort connects 9th grade students with peer mentors who guide, advise, and assist with the various issues that accompany the transition to high school.  Members of the resident services program at Madison Park collaborate with the parents to help students decide on a career or education path, and then develop a strategic plan towards that goal. This ensures that the participants understand their potential and are exposed to the career and educational prospects that will allow them to realize their potential. 

Madison Park Community Development Corp. summer youth staff

Mentoring programs like this one address a wide spectrum of potential barriers including social, psychological, educational and emotional issues all by introducing a strong role model. Mentoring does not have to be formal, though. By getting engaged in the community in any sort of youth program, students strengthen their networks and build relationships that foster similar social and emotional growth — and such progress carries over to performance in school. 

According to studies by the Afterschool Alliance, the Urban Institute and the Public Health Agency of Canada, students who are involved are less likely to skip school and more likely to feel a sense of belonging in their school.  These positive thoughts and behaviors translate to hefty gains in test scores and graduation rates.  Furthermore, these impacts are more significant among disadvantaged students, confirming the need for community development agencies to incorporate youth programming into their mission. 

Mentor and mentee

   
As students return to their studies, it is important to remember that school makes up but a fraction of a day.  What happens in the afternoon can make all the difference to an individual’s development both as a student and as a young adult.

Learn more about other youth programs offered by Madison Park Community Development Corporation, including their summer mural project, by visiting their Facebook page or watching this video. 

Back to School Rallies Get Kids Ready for School

By Tonya Young, Homeport relationship coordinator, and Pamela Palmer, AmeriCorps Member

Homeport, a NeighborWorks member in Columbus, Ohio, hosted back to school rallies at many of its communities to help provide children with the tools they need to be successful in school. Homeport board members, staff, and AmeriCorps members volunteered alongside employees from Chase, Hilton, Express, and other organizations handing out backpacks filled with school supplies. The children enjoyed the events and left feeling so excited to go back to school! 

In addition to stuffed backpacks, the residents received free food and information on safety and other community and social service programs available to help improve their lives. For most, the moments treasured included when members presented participants of the Homeport summer camp program with certificates of completion, and when they announced the names of the children and families selected to receive refurbished computers.  

These rallies involved collaboration amongst various community partners, including YMCA, Columbus Gives Back, Columbus State Community College, The Junior League of Columbus, and United Way of Central Ohio. The residents had an opportunity to meet their child’s 2012 School Liaison Officer, who promotes and encourages increased parental involvement in the education process, as well as representatives from City of Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman’s office, and other public officials. The success of these events was made possible by the selfless acts of others and the formation of new partnerships. What a great way to kick off a new school year!

How to Create a Community Garden

We couldn't resist including this wonderful last piece in our community gardening series. Thanks to all who sent in entries and to all those who work on gardens across the country.

By Bob Halstead
Founder, Bridgeport Urban Gardens

Photo courtesy of The Housing Development Fund, Inc. (HDF)

I've had 30 years of experience building community gardens and I can tell you they always start from the heart.  The first step is to assess if the commitment is there from the neighborhood.  The rule of thumb is that there need to be five people solidly invested at the start.  The number of participants will grow later.

If there is not a community garden organization in your area, you can probably find one to partner with.  Here in Connecticut we have the Connecticut Community Gardening Association.  Working with an established organization can give you technical assistance on how to go about the nuts and bolts of creating a community garden and may also provide access to resources and connections supportive of community gardening.

As in any development project, there are several critical ingredients needed to create a community garden.  Interest and commitment are an important first piece, and the next crucial piece is a site, which must have good sun and water.

Photo courtesy of HDF

To secure a site, you either need an agreement with the owner, or you have to buy it yourself.  The ideal site is one that is in close proximity to where the interested community lives.  Having a site that is walkable for those who are involved makes it easier to maintain and check-in when walking by.  Increasing pedestrian traffic also improves the community.

After locating a desirable parcel, the owner must be contacted and a contract must be formed.  Municipalities, religious institutions, schools, housing complexes (public or private), and community centers are common partners for land agreements to establish community gardens.  Private landowners are also common site owners for gardens, and contracts can be tailored to suit all of these groups.  Tracking down the owner of a specific piece of property will be easiest for someone with knowledge of real estate, and may involve going to town or city hall to research land records.  If the owner is already known, you simply need to approach them with a proposal for what you have in mind.

Working with a private owner often has benefits compared to dealing with municipalities or institutions, which can be a time-consuming and complicated process.  A private landowner may welcome a community garden, especially during difficult economic times as it may free them from maintenance issues until such time as the market will support a development.  Private landowners often can avoid some cumbersome taxes by deeding a property to a nonprofit as a tax deduction, and this may be one reason to investigate either partnering with a nonprofit or registering your garden as a 501(c)3.   Insurance is also a big issue, and can be another reason to consider working with an established nonprofit corporation who might offer to include you under their policy and be the fiduciary for your gardening group and the contract holder.

Photo courtesy of HDF

Working with municipalities who own vacant lots or park land often requires working closely with your governmental representative or the city planner for your town.  Use of municipal land will eventually require the approval of the governmental body and chief elected official. To gain approvals, it is best to mobilize the community and bring out supporters to public hearings either in person or with letters to representatives and the local media.  Positive press can encourage elected officials to participate and be seen in a good light politically.  It is worth noting that some municipalities may offer dedicated staff people to coordinate your program and provide public works machinery.

There are basic templates are available on land agreements and can be found through a local community gardening association or on the Internet.  It is desirable to have a commitment for five years with three years the minimum, given the amount of work and investment that has to be made on a garden.

The next step is to create a budget, which should include such items as water systems, fencing, lumber for raised beds, tools, sheds, plants and topsoil.  Start-up costs for a community garden can range anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000. If your local community gardening agency has staff or volunteers to assist you with budgeting and/or locating resources, you should absolutely engage them.  If you are eager to get started quickly and cannot yet secure, for example, water service to the site, seek agreements to use what is available.  Neighbors might allow use of their water line, or there may be existing soil available (some communities have a town compost program). 

Always work with an eye toward bigger improvements down the road.  Having the garden up and running (along with property control) can play a huge part in helping you secure grants, participation and donations to continue developing your site.  Hosting a fundraiser on site once you’ve begun to get the garden in place can be a dynamic way to excite donors and the community.

Early on you need someone to ask as a captain who assigns plots after doing canvassing in an area.  Once all the basics are taken care of, a garden is a sustainable operation.  People then appreciate what they have and will work to keep it.  They usually know how to garden or are willing to teach those who don’t and they really appreciate it socially. 

Partnerships are invaluable to the success of a community garden project, especially in depressed urban areas.  If the core supporters of the garden are willing to ask, you can uncover a tremendous outpouring of altruistic activity from corporate institutions, organizations such as United Way, churches and schools.  Volunteer groups can show up for all or part of a day and quickly supply you with the needed ‘whack’ to construct your raised beds in a matter of a few days. 

HDF partnered with Bridgeport Urban Gardens to bring a volunteer day to the
Clinton Avenue Community Garden in Bridgeport, CT. Photo courtesy of HDF

Success breeds success...and funding.  Once your garden has started to take shape, getting some exposure as a community garden will make it is easier to get funding.  Available funding sources include: HUD Community Development Block Grants (through a municipality), state Departments of Environmental Protection, community foundations, philanthropists, state or local Health Departments, educational programs, corporations and national foundations, and local businesses (who might donate in-kind with supplies or services).  The Keep America Beautiful Foundation, for example, offers grants in partnership with Lowes that can be used for community garden projects. This year, for NeighborWorks Week, the Housing Development Fund, Inc.co-hosted a volunteer day with Bridgeport Urban Gardens which received one such grant. It was used to provide the garden with a host of supplies and materials that we used on site – mulch, plants, a new shed, organic soil mix, etc. The one-day effort resulted in a wide-reaching refurbishment of this beloved community space, including mulching of pathways, construction of a supply shed, tilling and planting of garden beds and the involvement of members of a special-needs class from the high school that sits across the street from the garden site.

Happy gardening!

From Vacant Lots to Community Gardens

By Case Wyse
Pathstone Community Improvement of Newburgh
   
From the rubble of vacant, neglected, and under-utilized land, Newburgh Community Gardens in New York are gently picking up steam as raised beds become the signature of cheap, delicious local food. The gardens are made possible by a collaborative effort among Pathstone Community Improvement of Newburgh, the Newburgh City Council, and the hard work of numerous AmeriCorps volunteers and local residents.

Dutch Reformed Church garden

The official process started when Pathstone Community Improvement of Newburgh applied for a grant through the city council.  As part of the application process, soil tests were conducted at each of the potential garden sites. This data was appended to the maps created earlier with the help of the Orange County Office of Planning and Development.  After site selection, public events were held seeking community input and interest.  From this information, a plan detailing the intended owners and stewards of each garden was drawn up and presented to the city. All this work paid off when the Newburg Community Gardens got the green light.     

Recently, Newburgh welcomed the addition of two more public gardens cultivated from the efforts of several dedicated organizations.  The garden at the Dutch Reformed Church is adjacent to the city library and sits before a monolithic set of pillars characteristic of Newburgh’s aging architectural wonders. Immediately following and during the installation of this garden, the community began to take notice and offer assistance. 

Boys at San Miguel work on garden

Though the program is still in its infancy, community enthusiasm continues to encourage other organizations to take responsibility for managing a garden bed.  In the case of San Miguel Academy, a single bed was insufficient. On the corner of Farrington and Lander, a former high-crime risk center in the city, there is now a beautiful series of raised garden beds constructed and maintained by recent graduates from the academy.  These beds offer the unconventional classroom for educating future generations to properly maintain fruits and vegetables. The rising trend towards local food means that developing an urban agriculture skill set could ensure a wholesome meal and job security in the future.

Armory Garden's green team

Along with San Miguel Academy, a number of other community organizations have undertaken the responsibilities gardening. At the Newburgh Armory Unity Center more than 30 garden beds stand ready for the 2013 growing season.  In the two years since its inception, the Armory Garden has hosted everyone from the first-time gardener to the life-long green thumb.  This diverse range of gardeners and organizations provides the social system which underlies the future success of Newburgh’s community gardens.  Plans currently under development include a food dispersal network in which produce from each of the gardens could either be donated to local food pantries or sold at the local farmers market, a city-wide composting program, and a nursery capable of supplying all the vegetable starts necessary for gardeners across Newburgh.