Our Mission, Vision, and Values
The mission of Grow Dat Youth Farm is to nurture a diverse group of young leaders through the meaningful work of growing food.
At Grow Dat, people from different backgrounds come together to create a more just and sustainable food system. On our farm, we work collaboratively to grow food; educate and inspire youth and adults; and build power to create personal, social, and environmental change.
“Grow Dat has taught me that I am always growing as a person and nothing is set in stone. I feel way more sure of myself than I did before, and especially when it involves food systems or farming in general. I now realize that my words and thoughts have value and people will actually listen to me if I talk.”
—Reid (Crew Member, Seed Project, ACL 2021-2024)
Our Values
SUSTAINABILITY: We maintain our land and our organization in a way that ensures they remain productive over the long-term.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP: We build relationships between youth and adults to engage youth in a process that challenges and supports them as they sharpen their leadership skills.
EQUITY & INCLUSION: We model the world we want to see by learning together across difference, communicating directly and honestly, and identifying and undoing oppression together. We strive to create a safe, supportive, and accountable space where all people can thrive.
FOOD JUSTICE: We believe a just food system is one in which equity, community control of resources, ecological health, and transparency are what we value most.
LOVE OF LAND: We “enlarge the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land” and cultivate among youth and adults a sense of accountability to and care for this larger community (quote borrowed from Aldo Leopold's "Land Ethic").
SOLIDARITY: We commit to collective action with and mutual support of the many other organizations working to make our city a more just place for all.
“I learned that everything isn’t as one dimensional as I thought. I’m now able to see different sides of things.”
—Sabria (Crew Member, Seed Project, ACL, Crew Leader 2016-2020)
Our Definition of Youth Leadership
CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Leaders develop and use a critical analysis of systems and inequity in their work
VISION: Leaders envision a just and sustainable world and believe in our collective ability to make that world a reality.
SELF-AWARENESS: Leaders practice self-awareness, continual learning, and perseverance.
COLLABORATION: Leaders work effectively with others across differences to make change happen.
We believe leadership development is both a process of personal transformation and collective action. We believe leaders cultivate other leaders.