Northern Youth Project

OUR GARDEN HAS GROWN! IN 2021 WE WORKED TO EXTEND OUR ACEQUIA TO FEED OUR LOWER FIELDS AND PREPARE FOR GROWING CORN. MANY DAYS AND MANY HANDS HELPED TILL THE AREA, PLANT SEEDS AND CARETAKE THE NEW AREA. OUR TREE GUILD SURVIVED LAST WINTER AND PRODUCED SOME FRUIT THIS SUMMER! WE COLLABORATED WITH THE MOTHER NATURE CENTER, ALAS DE AGUA ART COLLECTIVE, AND NNMC EL RITO CAMPUS TO GROW OUR PLANT STARTS. WE AGAIN HOSTED A VERY SUCCESSFUL ANNUAL PLANT SALE & SEED EXCHANGE FUNDRAISER WHERE WE SHARED PLANTS AND SEEDS WITH THE COMMUNITY. NYP ALSO CONTINUED MENTORING OUR AGRICULTURE COORDINATOR IN PERMACULTURE AS WE FOCUSED ON FEEDING THE SOIL WITH COMPOST AND MANURE, SHEET MULCHING, A HUGELKULTUR EXPERIMENT, AND COVER CROPS. THERE WERE VARIOUS COOKING CLASSES AS WELL THE PLANTING OF HERITAGE SEEDS & POLLINATOR PLANTS. WE HOSTED 11 AGRICULTURE INTERNS WHO CONTRIBUTED OVER 500 HOURS IN NURTURING THE LAND. AGRICULTURE YOUTH WERE ALSO ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN A MYCELIUM MYCOREMEDIATION WORKSHOP LED BY COMMUNITIES FOR CLEAN WATER. THEY USED ART AND STORYTELLING TO UNDERSTAND THE TOXINS IN OUR SOIL, AND HOW NATURE CAN MITIGATE THEM. WE ALSO HOSTED A GATHERING ON SITE FOR THIS ORGANIZATION'S TALKING CIRCLE. THE YOUTH ALSO TRAVELED TO VILLANUEVA TO LEARN FROM YVONNE AND THE BUENO PARA TODOS FARM COLLECTIVE WHERE THEY LEARNED ABOUT SIMILAR FORMS OF TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE AND ALSO BROUGHT BACK NEW IDEAS TO IMPLEMENT IN THE GARDEN. ART & LEADERSHIP PROGRAMTHIS YEAR'S MURAL PROJECT WAS CURATED BY ISRAEL HAROS-LOPEZ (LOCAL MURALIST & NYP MENTOR). THE YOUTH ORGANIZED AND DRAFTED THE IDEA FOR THE MURAL. INTEGRATING ALL OF THEIR IDEAS INTO ONE GIANT PIECE THAT WE HOPE TO CONTINUE IN 2022. WE BROUGHT IN LOCAL ARTISTS (INCLUDING PARENTS) TO MENTOR US ON CERAMICS, AND WERE ABLE TO CREATE CLAY CREATURES (HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY SEEING A BEAR) AS WELL AS BOWLS AND CUPS ON THE KICKWHEEL. WE ALSO HAD 4 TEEN ART INTERNS WHO CONTRIBUTED OVER 80 HOURS AND ROTATED BEING ART MENTORS TO OUR YOUNGER PARTICIPANTS. THEY BROUGHT THEIR OWN IDEAS TO THE TABLE AS WE MOVED THROUGH THE SUMMER WITH MORE YOUNGER OR "BRIDGE" PARTICIPANTS. WE HAVE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE SURVIVAL SKILLS WORKSHOPS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MOTHER NATURE CENTER. THIS YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN EARTH WALKING, ARCHERY, AND TRACKING. WE ALSO HIKED INTO THE DESERT HILLS AND CANYONS EXPLORING OUR HOMELANDS. AND WERE ABLE TO TAKE THE KIDS ROCK CLIMBING AT THE SANTA FE CLIMBING CENTER. NYP HOSTED DDAT, AN AMAZING JAZZ AND HIP HOP GROUP IN COLLABORATION WITH SOME SERIOUS BUSINESS. THE YOUTH PROCESSED THE FOOD FROM THE GARDEN AND FROM LOCAL FARMERS INTO DELICIOUS GREEN GIFTS AT THE DAR AL ISLAM MOSQUE CERTIFIED KITCHEN. MENTORS ASSISTED IN CREATING TASTY, HEALTHY, AND WHOLESOME SNACKS AND GIFTS THAT WE SHARED WITH OUR FAMILIES AND THOSE THAT HAVE HELPED US THIS YEAR. WE HAVE ALSO BEGUN CONSTRUCTION ON AN OUTDOOR KITCHEN THAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO USING TO HOST COOKING CLASSES AND PREPARE HEALTHY FOOD FOR OUR PARTICIPANTS.