The Youth We Employ

aarush, youth crew

The experiences that taught me the most at LEAF were the workshops. They’ve taught me so much about a lot of different things. From diversity to the agricultural world, I’ve been challenged to think about new things.

alecia, Youth crew

LEAF has taught me how to make new friends, and how to be a stronger worker in my community. It taught me how to motivate myself.

CAMILLE, FARM TEAM

LEAF always supports me and helps to ease me into leading and public speaking. This helps me to develop these difficult, but crucial, skills.

ASHIKA, youth crew

LEAF has definitely gotten me outdoors more! I feel like that’s helped boost my mood and give me some more Vitamin D. And, outside, I’ve been inspired to connect with others around me more. It’s a slow change, and you don’t expect it going in. But, the more time you spend here, the more you grow.

ABULKHASSIM, youth crew

The experience at LEAF that taught me the most was probably Real Talk. It’s taught me to pay attention to small details and to be observant of other people. I used to always just mind my own business, but now I know how to help others become better people. They help me become a better person, too!

ABBY, youth crew

What’s my favorite part of LEAF? Everything! Weeding, the kitchen, harvesting, workshops– everything speaks to me.

CARTER, youth crew

Something that taught me the most at LEAF is probably trellising. It taught me a new, important process. It keeps plants healthy and upright, and is an intricate process not many people know.

christyan, KITCHEN TEAM

My favorite part of LEAF has to be working in the the kitchen! The close space inspires the crew to have meaningful conversations and connect with the food they make for the community.

DANNY, youth crew

My favorite memory at LEAF has been going to market and witnessing the joy that the blender bike brought all of the kids there. It’s great to see how we can impact the future generation.

DORIAN, YOUTH CREW

I like knowing that I can make an impact on my community. It's powerful to step back and see how much my work has influenced those around me.

el, kitchen team

Since I started at LEAF, I’ve started to notice that I’ve become a lot more outspoken. I used to struggle with opening up, and now I feel that I’m coming into leadership with an open heart and open mind.

elaNOR, NEW CREW

LEAF has given me confidence that has been applicable to other areas of my life. I feel more willing to get out of my comfort zone and try new things.

ellie, crew leader

LEAF has inspired me to think about my leadership and what it means to me. My leadership growth has become an active process rather than a passive one, and I’ve become more mindful over what kind of a leader I want to be. I’ve also learned that age doesn't equal experience, and I’ve become more humble in that regard.

emily, farm FELLOW

My first summer on Leadership Team taught me the most at LEAF. It put me into a position I’d never been in, and allowed me to unleash my potential.

ETHAN, FARM TEAM

What taught me the most through my time at LEAF has been my journey of graduating the DVP. To complete this, I had to challenge myself to think of the farming and program aspect of LEAF. I think it made me a better leader, and helped me to understand both the farm and people more.

EYJA, youth crew

My favorite part of LEAF has been the workshops! I feel like that’s where youth grow the most, and that’s why I applied to LEAF.

GAVIN, ASSISTANT CREW LEADER

One of my favorite memories at LEAF is definitely Savor. Interacting with donors and event attendees that care about our mission is always great. It really made me feel as though I was a part of the community!

GRETA, program FELLOW

LEAF helped me find the passion that will be driving the rest of my life. I think without LEAF, I wouldn't have discovered my interest in teaching youth and helping them grow.

JASMINE, KITCHEN TEAM

During one shift, I was in the kitchen and had to explain every small process of cooking in the space to the New Crew. This ranged from washing dishes to using the food processor. That shift marked a milestone for me, because it established a confidence in my abilities. I realized that I had reached a level of competency in the kitchen and was able to reflect on how far I’d come since my first summer.

JOSHAN, FARM TEAM

At LEAF, I’ve sought out many positions of growth. This is unique, because I normally am not given the chance to teach my peers in everyday life. But, I do now! It’s helped me feel more confident and responsible.

joshua, crew leader

I really enjoyed it when I went to Village Acres with my crew for the first time. Just seeing the curiosity among them when it came to a new land, and witnessing the discovery that came afterwards, was insanely powerful.

JOYAN, youth crew

My favorite part of LEAF is the community we build. Everyone is so different, and the sharing of diverse experiences is very valuable.

KADEN, youth crew

Community engagement is one of my favorite parts of LEAF. I like seeing the fruits of our labor: that our work results in the feeding of so many outside parties!

KAYLINN, YOUTH CREW

LEAF has inspired me to branch out and create new relationships that I wouldn't have otherwise. I’ve also gained skills, like farming, that I would have never had the opportunity to outside of the program.

mya, KITCHEN TEAM

I’ve learned a lot about agricultural life. I live in the city, where agrarian practices are uncommon. LEAF has introduced them to me in a way that builds my understanding of the world.

LAYLA, youth CREW

Our check out circle at the end of Open Farm! Seeing how everyone felt after completing their shifts and coming together and sharing our experiences was so powerful.

OLIVIA, OUTREACH team

LEAF has shown me the importance of reaching out to impact my community. When I first started working at LEAF, I was relatively uninvolved in my school and had no interest in being so. After witnessing firsthand how my small actions can influence something so important as a family’s nutrition, I realized that I was more powerful than I thought. Since then, I’ve done my best to be a part of everything I can.

RODOLFO, youth CREW

Tasks at LEAF taught me that everything has a hidden system behind it. Even in farming, an outcome is only produced by a long series of steps in between. You can’t just plant a seed and expect produce!

SAGE, ASSISTANT CREW LEADER

It has allowed me to improve my public speaking abilities, so much so that I can speak to public officials. Representing LEAF publicly is a huge opportunity and I am so grateful that LEAF shares the stage with youth. I am able to learn how I want to teach people. Every year, I get to showcase new skills and meet a new crew, allowing me to evolve my current mentoring skills to other ones.

Soph, Program FELLOW

Being around so many people from so many different walks of life has really broadened my perspective. Listening to life stories that differ from my own has pushed me to think in new, different ways.

SOPHIA, FARM TEAM

LEAF has given me lots of opportunities to be in different positions. It allows me to care about the food system on a deeper level than what would be true if I weren’t working within it.

VIVIAN, youth CREW

While working on a task with the leadership team, I learned a lot about how prepping beds can influence the entire food system. It just goes to show that the hardest jobs often have the most impactful outcomes.

XYVEN, OUTREACH TEAM

When I first learned post-market reporting + invoices, it helped me view markets from a broader perspective. This kind of detailing helped me get the big picture of marketing at LEAF.

poppy seed bagel, certified farm dog

My favorite part of LEAF is running down the hill and saying hello to everyone in the check-in/check-out circles each day!