Growing for Change!

Along with spring comes new growth and the Wyckoff House Museum is preparing for exciting changes for our 2022 farm season!

This summer we are looking to expand our teen Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) and strengthen our community composting outreach. Our GAP program is now entering its fifth consecutive year, which means it's time to unveil a new curriculum for this season’s cohort and open up more spots for our local youth. We're looking to serve five local teens, and for the first time ever, two returning Garden Apprentices in new leadership positions with a newly redesigned program rooted in social justice, environmental sustainability, and community engagement. 

The teen Garden Apprentices will play a key role in the management of our community compost system diverting food scraps from the waste stream, public education through teen-led environmental education workshops, and running our weekly farm stand from June-October, providing our community with fresh, low-cost organic produce. The teen apprentices will come away from the program with a better understanding of food access and the ability to advocate for our public green spaces. 

This year they will have the additional opportunity to help guide our farm redesign following construction of the Comfort Station at the Fidler-Wyckoff House Park, which will break ground this spring. These changes to our farm will give us the chance to incorporate more native plants and sustainable practices into our growing space which will further benefit our community.

1. Get the Word Out: Send out applications and conduct interviews for the GAP program.
2. Hit the Books: Gather resources and engage community stakeholders for their input in redeveloping the GAP curriculum.
3. Welcome to the Farm: On-board our five teen GAPs (Garden Apprentices) along with the two returning GAP Farm Assistants to the Wyckoff Farm and begin working together.
4. Plant, Plant Plant: Learn the ins and outs of cultivating, harvesting, and managing compost throughout the season.
5. Helping Hands: Support GAPs to be able to manage weekly farm stands and lead public volunteer skill sharing events.
6. Increase Our Capacity: Build new Compost bins to handle an increase of food scrap drop offs and host compost education programs for children and adults.
7. Keep It Moving: Continue to host weekly farm stands, with low-cost produce options via Fresh Food Boxes, and donating produce to local community partners for those in need.
8. Cultivate and Maintain: Throughout the growing season we will be working to keep the farm in good shape -- sow, reap, and repeat!

With our Growing for Change campaign, the Wyckoff Farm is hoping to help address longstanding food access and environmental justice issues in our East Flatbush community by giving our next generation of leaders the tools they need to advocate for change.

• East Flatbush is considered a Potential Environmental Justice Area by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, as defined by having at least 52.42% of the population in an urban area reporting themselves to be members of minority groups in the last census.
• Our local district, Brooklyn #17, is one of the most food insecure communities in New York City (ranking at fifth lowest out of 51) with a resounding 29% of households qualifying as "food insecure" according to recent research by the Food Bank of New York City. 
• Composting helps divert organic materials from the waste stream and reduce the impact of greenhouse gasses, which makes our communities cleaner and healthier.
• Developing meaningful youth programs for teens helps give them essential job and farming skills.