Since 2007, PUEBLO has operated a program called Urban Youth Harvest, employing young people to harvest the excess fruit growing in back yards throught Oakland and donating it to low-income seniors and others lacking fresh produce in their diet.

But this year, Urban Youth Harvest morphed into a much more expansive program called Youth Greening Oakland.

In collaboration with the Oakland Unified School District, the City of Oakland’s Parks & Recreation Department and private foundation support, 17 Oakland teenagers, mostly from East Oakland, learned the principles of park stewardship, did community outreach, built community/school gardens and learned about food and environmental justice issues.

Most of the work was done at Stonehurst Park, Madison Park and Tassafaronga Park, all in East Oakland. Students also spent some time maintaining the impressive school garden at Castlemont School established by the Green Pioneers Program.

They also continued to harvest fruit from residents’ back yards and deliver it to needy Oakland residents and learned about what's needed in terms of land use and zoning policy in order to utilize more urban space to cultivate food. Curriculum support in the area of environmental justice and skill development in mapping was provided by the HOPE Collaborative.

Students also received college credit for a course they took one day a week at Merritt College and went on weekly field trips that enriched their understanding of urban agriculture projects and local urban farms. This rich job training and educational program was designed by Grey Kolevzon who has a 15-year history of teaching at Oakland’s high schools and the Peralta College District, developing curricula that focus on urban agriculture, and designing community and school garden projects. PUEBLO brought together a skilled staff all of whom brought a diverse range of talents and experience to this program. Students wrapped up their eight-week job on Aug. 12 with a graduation day set of group presentations and feedback.

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