CommunityGrows » BEETS

Spring 2013 BEETS Graduate!

Barbara Wenger — Tue, 07 May 2013 05:38:38 +0000

On Tuesday, April 30th thirteen teens graduated from our Spring 2013 BEETS (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) Program. Two of them, Delvin Tobie Jr. and Shontay Vessell have gone through three sessions for a year-long internship. Other teens who finished the four-month Spring 2013 session are Serena Adams, Claudia Williams, Shayla Averett,Joseph Lilly, Julien Lundh,Jennifer Rodriguez, Mercedes Cross, Julianna Echeverria, Armani Reed and Sydni Walker. After describing highlights in the program, the teens received awards and kudo from staff, family and friends. Cupcakes rounded off the hour, chillin’ and enjoying each others company.

Birds Bees Flowers Trees

Barbara Wenger — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 02:43:17 +0000

This afternoon, Thursday, April 11, 2013, lesson plans were the name of the game! Our current BEETS (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) tried out their lesson plans of birds, bees, flowers and trees. It involved weeks of gathering information and gearing their lessons to K-5 students they will soon be mentoring. Today was about peer review. Everyone showed well researched information which they convey with great activities to inspire learning. Having a small tree as a prop, Julien Lundh went through why trees are important and how they grow. He had his “class” draw the parts of a tree and answered questions. Julianna Echeverria gave a lesson on bees, explaining how they pollinate plants which make up most of the foods we eat. Everyone got to taste the nectar from a fuchsia plant. Sydni Walker gave a lesson on flowers and their parts. One of her activities was having everyone make flowers out of paper and pipe-cleaners. Finally Jennifer Rodriguez did a lesson on ladybugs. She read us a story and had everyone go throughout the garden and find ladybugs that she had hidden (made out of paper and markers). All the lessons got high marks and positive critiques. The next steps for these new instructors are to work with our staff and K-5 students in our various CommunityGrows Programs.

Fillmore Farmers Market with Oasis for Girls!

Barbara Wenger — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 01:25:19 +0000

On Saturday, April 6, under cloudy skies and drizzle, eight BEETS joined seven young women from Oasis for Girls at the Fillmore Farmers Market for a day of learning and fun.
Kicking off the day with an ice-breaker game to get to know each other, they then broke into groups and went on a scavenger hunt through the market. They were to find farmers who travel less than 50 miles, ask vendors about their organic practices, and try out new fruits and vegetables. They learned a lot about pesticides, and ladybugs, Pomelos and Yuzu Kabosu Sudachi Citrus Fruit, goose eggs, daikons, and mustard greens. They got to buy their top favorites for the group and ended up with pistachios, almonds, oranges, apples, strawberries, kiwis, carrots, peas,and some samosas to top off the list. Then a walk back to Koshland Park where BEETS interns lead garden tours for the Oasis for Girls group. Finally at the Hayes Valley Youth Center everyone prepared a wonderful meal together. A perfect day and lots of great photos below. Thank you Oasis for Girls. It was a pleasure spending the day with you. For even more photos, check out our Flickr Photostream here.

Recruiting for Summer 2013 BEETS

Barbara Wenger — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 22:08:28 +0000

CommunityGrows is now taking applications for our Summer 2013 BEETS (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) Program. This is a four-month green jobs training program for youth 15-19 years old, primarily living in the Western Addition of San Francisco. The session runs from June 11-August 8, 2013, and candidates should be available Mondays-Fridays from 12:00 noon to 3:00 PM, as well as one-to-two Saturdays per month, with potentially additional hours as scheduled.

Beets Flyer SUMMER 2013 by Barbara Wenger

Youth gain experience in resume writing and goal setting, as well as in community gardening. Gardening opportunities include designing and building, basic maintenance and assisting and teaching garden classes to younger youth. Interns also attend job training and career development workshops, educational opportunities, and field trips throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

The deadline for Summer 2013 applications is Monday, May 20, 2013.

Beets Summer 2013 Application by Barbara Wenger

BEETS Expand Horizons at Skyline College

Barbara Wenger — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 01:48:22 +0000

On Saturday, March 16th four female BEETS (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) joined Lisa Drogin, BEETS Coordinator, for a day at Skyline College in San Bruno. Jennifer Rodriguez, Julianna Echeverria, Sydni Walker and Shontay Vessell spent the day meeting women who use science and math in their careers, as well as women in non-traditional careers. They attended workshops to see some of the things these women do on their jobs, and they learned about promising career opportunities. The teens were able to join workshops which conducted lab experiments, wired high-tech phone systems, examined microscopic creatures, and designed computer software. Each youth could attend three hands-on workshops during the all-day conference. They also participated in a problems and puzzles contest. The conference was sponsored by the Genentech Foundation for Biomedical Sciences. Skyline students escorted our teens to their sessions. Each of the teens in high school earned 0.5 units of college credit.

Rosa Parks Tiles for Garden Program

Barbara Wenger — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 23:58:44 +0000

On Saturday, February 23, 2013 Rosa Parks Elementary School’s Green Team had another Tile Making Day to raise money for the garden project. Many families came out to paint a tile which will be added to our long caterpiller that graces the lower garden. Some of our BEETS joined the garden crew weeding and composting for the spring. Principal Paul Jacobsen also joined us, which was a great treat! Here he is with parent Karen Kai and some of our BEETS. Our chickens are doing well too!

Spring 2013 BEETS Cohort

Barbara Wenger — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 20:09:04 +0000

Introducing the twelve BEETS (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) for Spring 2013 Cohort:

RETURNING BEETS

Shontay Vessell
A referral from Westside Community Services Girls Group at Ida B. Wells High School, Shontay started BEETS mid-way through the Spring 2012 Session. Shontay has assisted with many CG Seed to Mouth Cooking classes during her time in BEETS and was also involved in the Cooking Program at Ida B. Wells High School. One of her goals during BEETS was to graduate High School. In October 2012, Shontay graduated from Ida B. Wells High School 2 months early. Shontay is in her 3rd session of BEETS and currently attends City College.

Serena Adams
Serena joined BEETS in Fall 2012 after hearing about the program from a BEETS alumni at her high school. Serena recently moved to San Francisco from San Jose and currently attends Downtown High School where she is involved with the WALC (Wilderness Arts & Literacy Collaborative) program. Serena hopes to be a fashion designer when she grows up. During Fall 2012 BEETS Serena set a goal of learning more about a career in fashion design and took initiative to attend an information session at the San Francisco Academy of Art.

Claudia Williams
Claudia was referred to BEETS by her older sister, a BEETS alumni, and started BEETS in Fall 2012. Claudia currently lives at Hayes Valley North and attends Mission High School, where she is a cheerleader. Claudia’s highlight from her Fall 2012 BEETS Session was volunteering at the AIDS Memorial Grove. When she grows up she hopes to be a lawyer.

Delvin Tobie
Delvin joined BEETS in Summer 2012, after a referral from Booker T. Washington Community Center. During the Summer 2012 Session, Delvin set a goal of starting College in the Fall. Delvin is still in BEETS and started taking classes at San Francisco City College in Fall 2012, after which he plans to transfer to a 4 year university.

NEW BEETS

Shayla Averett
Shayla, a resident of the Western Addition is the current president of the Black Student Union at Galileo High School and is expected to graduate in Spring 2013. Shayla was referred to BEETS by a program alumni and is looking forward to gardening, gaining work experience, and strengthening her leadership and public speaking skills in the program. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with friends and playing basketball. Growing up without a Father has been difficult for her. In the future, Shayla hopes to travel the world and become an interior or fashion designer. She has been admitted to SF State and Cal State East Bay for Fall 2013 and is currently trying to make her decision about where to attend.

Mercedes Cross
Mercedes is 16 years old and is currently a student at Downtown High School in the WALC program. She was referred to the program through a BEETS alumni. Prior to BEETS, Mercedes had interned in the Western Addition and worked at MYEEP. Mercedes joined BEETS to gain job experience, gain extra income to not rely on her Grandmother, and to help out other youth in a positive way. In her free time, Mercedes enjoys cooking, reading, listening to music, and drawing. Her favorite subject in school is environmental science and she hopes to be a forensic scientist when she grows up.

Julianna Echeeverria
Julianna joined BEETS after a referral from the Occupation Therapy Training Program – Family Mosaic Project. Julianna graduated from Galileo High School in 2012 and is currently a student at SF City College. Prior to joining BEETS, Julianna assisted with several community events at the Thrive House for Youth. Julianna currently takes care of her Mom, who is sick, as well as her helping out with her family, which has been a challenge for her. In BEETS, she is looking forward to learning more about gardening, cooking, and how to maintain and care for plant life. In her free time Julianna enjoys art, cooking, writing, and drawing.

Armani Reed
Armani applied BEETS after it was recommended to her by one of our current BEETS. She is currently 16 years old and goes to school at Mission High School, where she is on the cheer team. Armani relies on mentors to stay positive, as growing up without a Mother has been difficult for her. She currently lives with her Grandparents and hopes to be a lawyer when she grows up. During BEETS, Armani hope to learn teamwork, independence, and earn money to help out her family. In her free time she enjoys cheering, dancing, singing, and learning new things.

Sydni Walker
Sydni currently attends Galileo High School and is expected to graduate in Spring 2013. Referred to us through Westside Community Services, Sydni is the older sister of a BEETS alumni. During BEETS, Sydni hopes to learn new things, meet new people, and gain work experience. If she could change anything in her community it would be to stop violence and gang related deaths among young people. In her free time, Sydni enjoys reading books, poetry, and volunteering at Golden Gate Nursery. She hopes to be a Criminal Justice Lawyer or work in social services.

Joseph Lilly
Joseph was referred to BEETS through Treasure Island Job Corps and lives in the Western Addition. During his time in Job Corps, Joseph did facilities maintenance and helped create a farm on site. In his free time he enjoys relaxing, having fun, and helping out with student government at Job Corps. He is looking forward to learning about multicultural awareness, networking, and personal growth in BEETS.

Jennifer Rodriguez
Jennifer found out about the BEETS program through her teacher at Independence High School. She is a single parent of a one year old, and enjoys walking and spending time with her son and friends in her free time. Jennifer hopes to learn more about the environment and gardening during BEETS and gain experience to help out in her community in the future. She hopes to be an X-Ray Tech or Pediatrician when she grows up.

Julien Lundh
Julien lives across the street from the Hayes Valley South Youth Center and graduated from Ida B. Wells High School. He is currently a student at SF City College and loves science. He is interested in astrophysics and mechanical/electrical engineering. His freshman year of High School was challenging for him at Washington High School and after transferring to Ida B. Wells he focused more on staying in school. In his free time he enjoys playing video games, science, and watching movies. He is looking forward to learning more about gardening and learning new things in BEETS.

Check out a video from the day…

For more photos from that day, check out our CommunityGrows Flickr Photostream.

BEETS Graduation-Fall 2012

Barbara Wenger — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 01:21:40 +0000

On Tuesday, December 11, 2012 the Fall BEETS (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) had a graduation ceremony at the Youth Center of Hayes Valley Apartments. Chyna Russell, Jamese Smith, Da’lyah Taylor, Antoinette Reggans, Raven Sisco, Shontay Vessell, Delvin Tobie, Hosanna Rubio, Serena Adams, and Claudia Williams were presented with awards and praises for a great season. We also honored and appreciated our two amazing volunteers who joined us this fall, Sarah Preisher and Emery Donovan. Family and friends joined us for the celebration. Look back on our blog posts over the past few months to see all the events the BEETS participated in. To see more photos, check out our Flickr Photostream. A new group of teens is being recruited for Spring 2013. For more information, check out the application and flyer here.

Fun Wreath Making at Hayes Valley Playground

Barbara Wenger — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 21:41:43 +0000

On Saturday, December 8, 2012 CommunityGrows hosted our annual Wreath and Card Making Event at Hayes Valley Playground. Partners Trash MashUp joined us to make holiday ornaments. Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association and Frances Nealey helped us make holiday cards, and the YMCA Western Addition Beacon Center, Community Partners United, Magic Zone, Hayes Valley Housing and McCormick, Baron and Ragon also participated. Our BEETS (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) came out to make wreaths residents and join the fun. A great holiday tradition! See more photos on our Flickr Photostream.

Recruiting Teens for Spring 2013 BEETS Green Jobs Training Program

Barbara Wenger — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:06:12 +0000

We have begun recruiting for our Spring 2013 BEETS (Band of Environmentally Educated and Employable Teens) cohort, which will begin on January 29 and go through May 1, 2013. If you know of any teens between the ages of 15-19 years old who would be interested in this stipend program, please have them submit an application by Thursday, January 10, 2013. Here is our flyer that provides more information. You can download the application here.
Beets Flyer SPRING 2013