Teens 4 Good: A 2009 Mantis Award Winner

"Teens were put in this world for a reason," says Jamie McKnight, director of the Teens 4 Good (T4G) program in Philadelphia, "and we are here to help them realize that they have the power and the responsibility to create a positive future."

T4G, a program of the Federation of Neighborhood Centers and a 2009 Mantis Award winner, is an entrepreneurship program that revolves around a youth-led urban agriculture business. Jaime explains that participating students gain "the skills, confidence, and support needed to enter and complete college, attain and sustain challenging jobs, perform effectively in the work place, and make choices that lead to successful and meaningful lives."

Through hands-on educational activities, teens learn how to create, build, and sustain a socially responsible business. They plant, nurture, harvest, package, and distribute vegetables, herbs, and fruit, then sell produce and garden-related products (e.g., cookbooks and calendars) to local communities, restaurants, and stores. They also develop and conduct nutrition education programs, and design marketing materials, such as a Web site, newsletters, and brochures. These experiences teach the teens how to manage finances, communicate effectively, and build healthy community relationships through teamwork, networking, sales presentations, and customer service. “Being in T4G has taught me to do the best I can at every job I do," shares one participant. "It has also taught me to be self motivated in life”.

In addition to “on the job" experiences, T4G provides students with a year-round curriculum of character, leadership, teamwork, and life skills development, one-on-one mentoring, and career exploration. The mission statement created by participating teens summarizes the goals of the program well: “To make a difference in the world by inspiring all teens to give back to their communities.”

T4G activities take place at garden sites throughout the city and include 80 raised beds at 10 different sites. These urban farms began as blighted vacant lots that have been transformed into positive urban green spaces through the hard work and dedication of hundreds of teens and community members. In addition to significantly impacting the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables available to inner-city residents, the gardens also add beauty to the neighborhoods. The boost in pride and self-confidence for teens involved is another important result.

One youth gardener shares, “Our garden site used to be a messy vacant lot but now it’s a beautiful garden that produces fresh food for the community. It taught me to take pride in the hard work I put into things. It’s a great, rewarding feeling! Thanks to Teens 4 Good, I’ve grown to be more appreciative of life, thoughtful of others, and more open minded. This is a great program and a great business that other youth should try to get involved with.”

About the Mantis Award
The National Gardening Association and Mantis partner annually to select dedicated youth and community gardens for the Mantis Award. Applications are welcomed from all nonprofit groups and award recipients receive their own Mantis tiller/cultivator. Since its inception in 1996, the annual Mantis Awards program has granted 231 awards to charitable and educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life in their communities.  In 2009 Mantis generously awarded 25 garden programs. For more details and to view the full list of 2009 Mantis Award recipients visit http://www.kidsgardening.org/grants/mantis.asp.