YOUTH IN BLOOM
Earth Force Summer of Service engages kids to become active citizens
T o the uninitiated, the reaction might have been: What in the world are these kids up to? It appeared they were using a pick ax and shovel to bury a hay bale.
It turns out they were simply borrowing an old farmer’s trick: burying a hay bale in the hard ground to soften the dirt. Moisture from the hay bale infuses the ground, thus making it easier to dig in the soil. The soil above the buried bale would be a bed for strawberries at the community garden at Wilson Middle School.
“The hay bale not only puts more water into the ground to make it softer, but it keeps it there longer for the plants,” participant Ramon Jaramillo said. He’s a sixth-grader at Washington Middle School.
“This program is really fun,” Jaramillo said. “And I’ve learned that fresh foods are a lot better because we don’t use pesticides that go into our foods and then into our body.”
The youths were part of an Earth Force Summer of Service, a six-week program in which kids can learn not only about the amazing hidden properties of a hay bale, but other things like problem-solving, use of resources in the community to solve environmental problems and leadership skills.
“The objective of this six-week program is to engage fourth- through ninth-grade students as active citizens in meaningful service learning, to improve the environment and their communities,” said Sierra Netz of New Mexico Summer of Service.
“Over the six weeks, we work through a process to identify issues the students are passionate about, and then research policy and practices around these issues, and try to design lasting change. For instance, we use food and water in our watershed as a lens to focus our projects because these are big issues for New Mexico as whole,” she said.
The students in the Wilson community garden were learning they could plant a garden that would benefit a neighborhood with fresh fruits and vegetables.
After planting strawberries, watermelons, tomatoes, black-eyed peas, chile, green beans and other crops, the students broke up into small groups and canvassed the neighborhood, asking people if they’d be
willing to buy their crops when harvesting time comes around in the fall.
“A lot of the people said they would buy fresh foods,” said Elena Estrada, 12, while her sister, 9-yearold Veronica Estrada, jumped on the straw bale that had just been lowered into a hole.
“A lot of the people said they shop at Walmart for their vegetables and fruits, but we found out that a lot of their foods come from places like China,” said Fernando Rivera, 13.
Through the community garden, students are learning how they can make change within the neighborhood.
“If I wasn’t here doing this, I’d probably be stuck in front of the TV set all summer, playing games,” said David Gonzales, an eighth-grader at Wilson Middle School.
The Earth Force Summer of Service was begun three years ago in Belen by teacher Cara Lynch. But when the program lost its federal funding at the last minute last year, program managers had to seek local help. They were successful, mainly through the efforts of two major nonprofits, Earth Force and Innovation and Civic Participation. The cost to students is $75, although the program awards scholarships and attempts to work with families who can’t afford the cost.
“This program is really worthwhile because it gets kids involved with their communities in a positive way,” said University of New Mexico senior Isaac Burleigh, who is working for the program.
Belen is the only remaining of the original Summer of Service sites, but it was joined this year by the program at Wilson and at surrounding elementary schools, Netz said. Another program operates from the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
Students and families interested in participating in next summer’s program can call Netz at 505-6205112. The goal, Netz said, is to create more programs in Central New Mexico, with the Rio Grande the connecting thread.
Partners now include University of New Mexico’s Research Service Learning Program, Wilson Middle School, Belen Consolidated Schools, Albuquerque Open Space, the Friends of Whitfield Wildlife Conservatory Area and a variety of other organizations in Valencia and Bernalillo counties.