Faces of the Farm ~ Meet Charlotte and DeVontae

For our Summer Youth Program (SYP) to run smoothly and be a positive experience for our youth participants, we depend on two wonderful SYP Team Leaders: Charlotte and DeVontae! It is their job to coach and mentor our SYP youth through farm work, workshops, and field trips. Both Charlotte and DeVontae bring years of experience, a bounty of knowledge, and abundant enthusiasm to the program—an excitement about learning and farming that rubs off on our participants throughout the summer. “I think it’s so awesome to give these youth the opportunity of a job in the summer, but also that they get to learn so many new things!” says Charlotte on why she feels the program at CGCF is so special. This summer is not the first time Charlotte and DeVontae have been faces on the farm. Charlotte was a SYP Team Leader last year, while DeVontae first began coming to the farm five years ago as a Green Tomorrows participant, and then as a youth participant of the first ever SYP at Common Good City Farm. For DeVontae, coming back to the farm as Team Leader is a way to share what he learned from the program: “I mainly want to help the kids get the most from this program. I got my other job from someone I met here. I want the kids to know that their time here is more than just what meets the eye (which is a lot of farm work)!” Both Charlotte and DeVontae enjoy seeing the youth learn and grow throughout the summer. “I love the Community Lunches,” Charlotte says of what she has most enjoyed this season, “The kids get to give tours, share what they’ve learned, and really take ownership of the farm. Its so great to see.” Thank you for being such great Team Leaders and contributing to a wonderful 2015 Summer Youth Program, Charlotte and DeVontae!