Using a Community Farmer's Market to Engage Students from an Alternative School

Document Type

Presentation

Presentation Date

3-10-2021

Abstract or Description

Paper presentation given at National Youth Advocacy and Resilience (Formally National Youth At-Risk) Conference, Savannah, GA.

Relevance

In an attempt to build school/community connections, we sought to explore the experiences of students from an an alternative school when working with a community farmer's market.

Brief Program Description

This presentation discusses the experiences of students from an alternative school while working at a summer-long farmer's market. We explore how school/community partnerships were fostered. Further, we document how students from an alternative school learned about food systems. Finally, we document student growth as well as the researchers' growth.

Summary

Most alternative education settings serve students who are at risk of school failure or who are marginalized from the traditional school system (Becker, 2010; Carver, Lewis, 2010; Lange & Sletten, 2002; Schwab, et al., 2016). The researchers worked with the staff of a local alternative school to establish a school garden. The goal was to create a welcoming environment while also having the students engage the community by donating produce.

The donation of produce was a way to combat local food insecurity. Food insecurity occurs when people do not have access to a sufficient amount of the nutrition needed to live active and healthy lives (World Health Organization, 1996). Though, when school is not in session during the summer, limited opportunities existed for students to grow and donate produce. 4 students from the alternative school eventually would help organize a community farmer’s market.

This presentation discusses the experiences of students from an alternative school while working at a summer-long farmer's market. Data were collected and analyzed using observations from the presenters. Both researchers collected data in field notebooks while working at the farmer’s market alongside the students. Notes were then compared.

We explore how school/community partnerships were fostered. Further, we document how students from an alternative school learned about food systems. Finally, we document student growth as well as the researchers' growth.

Over the course of the summer, a stronger partnership was created with a community food bank. In that, students furthered their education related to food systems while also combatting local food insecurity.

Evidence

Family and Community Engagement.

Learning Objectives

To learn about school/community connections.

To explore more from alternative education.

To explore the community embeddedness of farmer's markets.

Sponsorship/Conference/Institution

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Location

Savannah, GA

Source

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2021/2021/66/

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS