By Learning Lead, Hawthorne Armstrong and Kirk Peters
“We had all the supplies ready. The shovels were lined up, the seeds were sorted, and the ground was prepared. We were ready for the youth to arrive, and we were so excited to finally break ground on our community garden.”
Then, the sky opened up.
The downpour was terrible. We watched, disappointed, as the piece of land we had designated for the garden became completely flooded. It wasn’t just rain; it was a serious storm that made it impossible to be outside. We had to save the supplies and postpone the official start until the following week. It was tough telling the youth, who were visibly disappointed. But the upside? They were genuinely motivated. That disappointment was a testament to how invested they already were in the idea.
That initial setback, however, was a good lesson in resilience, a theme that ended up defining our entire summer project:
Youth Community Garden
The idea was sparked by a critical gap Hawthorne, a youth worker, witnessed daily: youth experiencing homelessness often have severely limited access to fresh, healthy food. Kirk, whose main job is farming, agreed that teaching this essential, life-sustaining skill to young people who could really benefit from the results would be important.
We realized we weren’t just growing vegetables; we were growing a skill and fostering a sense of ownership.
Clumsiness and Floods
Our second big struggle wasn’t the weather but the land itself. We don’t live in the same area, and finding the right plot required waiting for approval and choosing a location accessible to both of us. Eventually, we secured an amazing spot: the entire backyard of Hawthorne’s workplace facility. The facility felt the project delivered important skills so they gave us the space needed to truly grow.
We were worried about engagement. How many teenage boys would willingly sacrifice their weekends to spend hours gardening? But the feedback was amazing. The engagement was genuine, and we were pleasantly surprised.
Then came the heat wave.
That’s when I, Hawthorne, really wanted to give up. Being outside was terrible, we were both working full-time, and Kirk had a demanding 1.5-hour drive every time he needed to visit the garden. The exhaustion was getting to us. But we kept going because of one young man. He got incredibly attached to the garden, frequently asking how it was doing and arranging his weekends specifically to garden with us. It wasn’t about the garden itself anymore; it was about the importance of the project to their lives.
We both realized how much we learned just by getting our hands dirty and watching the process unfold up close.
For Kirk, who typically works commercial farming but not in the field, it was an eye opener. While he knew the science, the hands-on, taskful work changed his perspective on the sheer labor required.
For Hawthorne, it was a realization of the actual scale of climate impact. We read heat warnings, but seeing the heat have such a huge, visible impact on the production of our small garden made the climate crisis incredibly personal and urgent.
This project was a powerful reminder that our connection to the land and our food isn’t just about survival; it’s about community and perspective.
Here are a few things we realized along the way:
- The importance of this topic to youth is bigger than we expected. They are deeply invested in their future and crave practical skills for resilience.
- Engagement doesn’t require comfort. People are willing to engage in hard, physical work (like spending hours weeding in the heat) if the outcome feels meaningful and relevant to their lives.
- One community garden is a powerful start, but imagine the effect of multiple. Scaling up these local, regenerative projects is key to creating food security.
Community and comfort
The ultimate reward, for both of us, was the deep sense of community that bloomed alongside the fresh products.
For Hawthorne, it was witnessing the youth engagement and being able to genuinely listen to their stories and understand how important the project was for them. For Kirk, it was the sense of community: being there all together, present, focused on a shared goal.
That sense of shared purpose and connection is a peace you can only find when working with others toward a tangible goal.
If you’re looking to get involved, we encourage you to research local environmental opportunities close to you, starting with existing community gardens and their resources. Even donating a few hours of time makes a difference.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Two other cautious optimists
Youth like Danielle Moore believed in a future sustainability was a priority. She started the “Cautious Optimist” project as a way to learn skills to build that future and document her insights.
What could you be doing in your community to support environmental opportunities for youth?