WELCOME!

Growing Empowerment Orientation

Agenda

1. Introductions: Name, pronoun, current grade
2. Work permit application and work papers
3. Program overview: expectations, routines, norms
4. Location information
5. Communication: What’s App, Instagram
6. Contract
7. Questions

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Work permit papers

• Application for work permit
• Permit
• Papers to get paid

Program overview: Expectations

• Arrive on time, seated @ 9 am: Tappan or outdoor garden: you are only paid for the time you are present
• Bring hat, water bottle, sunscreen every day. Dress for gardening
• Engage in reflection, discussion, inquiry. Be open to learning and trying
• Strive to amplify your voice
• Share in the work — support teammates: We are a crew
• Respect the spaces, and the things in them, where we learn and work
• Attend evening event August 1 and present mission statement
• No electronic devices visible (phones, earbuds, etc.), except during break, bus rides and for social media posting.
• Use tools with tremendous care and only as directed. Speak up.

Program overview: Routines

• Morning meeting: plan, community building, review
• Daily jobs
• Garden work at partner schools
• Weekly trips: strong enforcement of expectations
• End of day reflection
• Snacks and lunch: signup
• Daily use of journal →Final mission statement
• Clean up

Program overview: Norms

Additional Norms:

• Ok to disagree. respectful disagreement
• Ok to feel differently. Not ok to blame, shame, attack others or yourself
• Use “I” statements. Be cautions with “you” or “we” statements
• Step up / Step back: be mindful of how much you — and others — are speaking
• Care about your share: We are stronger as a group
• Intent ≠ impact: You are accountable for both
• Assume goodwill: “ouch” if a statement or action does not feel good
• Confidentiality: This is your team!

Let’s recognize: it’s not easy to always practice these norms. Which are hardest for you? How do we restore our group when one has been violated?

Location information

Each day we will begin and end at:

• Tappan Classroom
• Outdoor garden
• Lunch and snacks could be anywhere

Job rotation

Water crew: Immediately after morning meeting, fill coolers and bring them to the van. Bring to garden sites. End of day, empty (preferably in a garden), and return them to our meeting space.

Tool crew: Immediately after morning meeting, check each tool bag to be sure they are full and organized. Distribute tools at gardens, as needed, and collect and inventory when finishing at a garden site. Clean before returning to van at each site.

Garden log: As we garden, work with your partner to log what work was completed at each garden site. The log for each garden can be found on the “Follow our work” page of our website: youthgrowingempowerment.org/follow-our-work (bottom).

Job rotation

Snacks / lunch distribution: Immediately after morning meeting, load cooler with snacks, silverware and ice packs; bring to van. Distribute at snack time. Be sure all garbage is collected at every site. Cooler should be cleaned out and brought back to our meeting space at the end of the day. Ice pack should be returned to freezer. Deposit garbage in can at Teen Center.

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Summarize and reflect: At closing meeting, summarize for team: what we accomplished, how it felt (honestly!), what you thought about our activities, what you learned, connections you made to others experiences (here or beyond).

Job rotation

Social media crew: Login: youthgrowingpower; password: deliciousveggies24

• Objective: 2 posts each day during Program hours: collection of 5-10 photos from day or a reel; descriptive, detailed captions (ideally multiple sentences). See for some ideas to get started.
• Guidelines:
• No explicit language
• Log out of account when done using it for the day!
• Always ask consent before taking a photo or video of your co-participants.

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Ideas for posts on next slide:

Contract

1. Go to Program website: youthgrowingempowerment
2. Click Participants page
3. Select Contract

Job rotation: more about Instagram posts

Social media crew: Login: youthgrowingpower; password: deliciousveggies24

• Interview teammate (with their consent!) about a garden task they are doing: ask questions about the process, if they’re enjoying the task, etc.
• Interview teammate (with their consent!) about Growing Empowerment: what are they learning? Are they enjoying it? New ideas or concepts that are intriguing?
• Take photos of gardens we’re working in and describe in the caption how it makes you feel–what are you hearing, seeing, smelling?
• Take photos of plants in different gardens. Compare / contrast different or same plants: what they look like, what you observe, how sun, soil, conditions, etc. affect those plants.
• Record vlog of day about our work, and post as a story (save to post on timeline later)!
• Take lots of short videos in the garden and compile them as a music video with a song that feels relevant to the work we’re doing
• Be creative! Think outside the box–you’re not limited to these ideas!

Names and snaps!

Round 1: Identify the name of person to your right

Round 2: Identify the names of the two people to your right

Etc.

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After each correct name, we all snap. Hands up and let’s go!