Wow, it’s crazy how fast this summer is already flying by! I have now been with GrowNYC for a couple of weeks and I am starting to feel like a real employee of the organization. My supervisor, Winnie, has already given me more responsibilities and challenges each day that I work alongside her. As an intern/volunteer at GrowNYC, I have explored a couple of different parts of the organization. So far I have done a lot of work within their youth education program called “Seed to Plate.” “Seed to Plate” is an in-class curriculum that focuses on educating New York City 5th and 6th graders about the importance of learning about their food and where it comes from. I worked specifically with Winnie at P.S. 97 in The Bronx, New York. There I helped her set up the lessons and she even encouraged me to lead the class when I felt confident enough. One of my favorite lessons was about whole foods vs. minimally processed foods vs. heavily processed foods. We watched two videos: “how to make sausage” and “how to make hot dogs.” Needless to say the children were disgusted by the hot dog process.
Today was actually the last day of the curriculum and I was saddened to have to say goodbye to the students whom I have gotten to know over the past few weeks. Our final lesson plan centered around an assessment that measured how much the students had learned over the course of the lesson plan. During our discussion about the program I was amazed by the amount of information that 5th graders can retain. When asked about facts about the visiting dairy farmer, the children were able to spew out information about pasteurization and sustainable vs. industrial farming. (Pictured below are the P.S. 97 5th graders listening to Rose, the visiting dairy farmer)
Although I am sad to finish my work within the classroom, I know that Winnie has a lot more in store for me. Besides “Seed to Plate,” I have done youth education at the Union Square greenmarket and worked a bit within their office. (Pictured below is the youth education station at the Union Square greenmarket).
I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with such a vast organization. If there are any students out there reading this post and feeling insecure about their professional future, my only advice is this: be bold and persistent. I stumbled upon GrowNYC by chance and figured that its mission fell in line with a lot of my interests. There weren’t any jobs posted on their website so I simply took initiative and e-mailed the volunteer coordinator with a cover letter and resume. Soon enough I had a phone interview and then my summer was set. If you feel passionate about something, take the extra step.
I am definitely looking forward to my remaining time with GrowNYC!