You know you’ve created something
special when teens vow to protect it.
This thought came to mind while
talking with the Sweet Potato Project’s students-some who’ve been with the
program since its inception in 2012. I’ve always made it a point to tell them
the real deal. Very few programs pay students to learn life-long skills. I want
them to understand they are receiving a gift thanks to people who care about
them and believe in our mission.
For the past three years, we’ve paid
inner-city youth summer wages to utilize entrepreneurial skills in their own
neighborhoods. I maintain that until we empower youth and adults where they
are, we will never effectively reduce poverty, crime or hopelessness in
low-income communities. By training a generation of urban entrepreneurs,
securing vacant properties, growing massive amounts of food and developing a
quality product line of fresh and packaged foods for consumers, restaurants and
institutions, we can create jobs and stimulate small business growth in North
St. Louis.
Working under the banner of the North
Area Community Development Corporation-a 501-c-3 nonprofit organization-the
Sweet Potato Project (SPP) has gone from training 15 teens in 2012 to 35 in
2014. This means that at the very least, 75 young people have been shown how to
make a huge difference and create opportunities for their parents, peers,
siblings and neighborhoods.
We’ve been building momentum but this
year has been particularly challenging. The ratio of corporate, individual and
nonprofit funding has been way below par in 2015. Since national attention turned to Ferguson,
many resources have been aimed at summer job creation for
at-risk youth. This is a wonderful step toward reducing the black teen
unemployment rate which is more than twice the rate for white teens. Summer
jobs, however, are a temporary fix. We choose to remain focused on a long-term solution
that will empower youth and residents in St. Louis’ hardest hit areas to create,
control and maintain their economic destinies.
We’ve been building momentum but this year has been particularly challenging.
The wonderful thing about our approach
is that our students get it. They are intrigued by the idea that they will be
the ones who will pave the way for jobs and opportunities for their parents,
peers and siblings.
After planting recently, I told some of
the teens about our fund-raising shortages this year. Right away, they launched
into ideas: “Let’s do a car wash, Mr. Brown…” “Let’s have a dance and serve the
sweet potato recipes we’ve created…” On and on they went.
It’s touching to know these kids are totally
invested and have grasped the essence of our program. Each year, almost all
bring a new recruit to the program. We’ve never been able to serve all the kids
who apply but the thought of cutting back on the numbers we’ve served is quite stressful.
We want to fuel the enthusiasm of youth who are excited about the idea of securing
vacant properties in St. Louis. In fact, this year one of our senior students,
Darryeon Bishop, will have his own plots at New Jerusalem COGIC Church on Emily Avenue in
North St. Louis. While
planting there two weeks
ago, Antonio, a 19-year-old who joined us last summer, spied an empty lot
across the street from the church:
“I’m gonna get that land, build me a house and
plant sweet potatoes in the back,” he said.
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Our students remind me that we have an excellent
opportunity to practice what we teach. Entrepreneurism 101 dictates: “You must get
tough when the going gets rough.” Another lesson from that playbook states: “Work
with what you have.”
What we have are young
soldiers ready and willing to hustle to save their program. What we have are
people, black, white and “other,” who have seen the value of what we are trying
to do and have brought their skills, talents and resources to the table. What
we have is the opportunity to do something daring, empowering and sustainable
in North St. Louis.
Although SPP hasn’t purchased our own land yet, we’ve
partnered with private landowners, churches and community organizations to grow
sweet potatoes for us. In the fall, we will purchase their yields to create,
make and sell new SPP products. In essence, we’re introducing a model for farm-based
economics in North St. Louis. The mission is to boost the model; recruit more
students, access more lots; involve more growers, build farmer’s markets and
food-based spin-off businesses in low income areas.
2015 Partner Gardens
 The Ville Family Gardens |
Ville Orchid Garden
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| Tillie's Corner Garden |
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| Bridges of Hope Church Garden |
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| Penrose Garden |
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| Missouri Botanical Garden |
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| Annie Malone's Emerson Academy Therapeutic School |
Sometimes I get so caught up in what we need, I forget what we have. St. Louis University, a major
regional institution, has been a powerful partner in our efforts. We have a
grassroots mission that has been supported by a community of compassionate,
talented and diverse individuals. Like our students, they get the big picture
and have invested in our collective dream.
I’ve been a dishwasher, ditch-digger, gasman,
magazine publisher, columnist
and contributor to high-profile, published authors but SPP is the most
rewarding venture of my life. Still, no one asked me to do this or promised it
would be easy. So, as director, I have to practice what we teach and do a
better job at articulating our needs and gathering forces for the mission.
To accomplish everything we propose in
our budget, we need to raise at least $40,000 in the next two months. This means I have to knock on
more doors and solicit invitations to speak at churches, businesses and even in
homes to tell our story. To serve the kids better, we have to build a bigger
volunteer network. SPP is a community-based success story. Surely I can find more people willing to give
their time as instructors, drivers (for field trips) and mentors.
We teach our students that sacrifice, diligence
and creativity are the lifelines to success as an entrepreneur or as a valued
employee. SPP
may be a nonprofit but it has a game-changing, entrepreneurial undertaking. I must always remember when life gets tough;
the entrepreneur gets tougher-period!
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| The Ville Orchid |
That said, here’s our 2015 “get tougher plan”:
1)
Start the summer program
on June 4th with senior students.
2)
Secure more corporate,
individual and small business support
3)
Create student teams;
cooking, accounting, sales and distribution
4)
Increase revenues
by focusing on wholesale and retail products
5)
Bring on new
recruits starting June 15th
6)
Increase
production and distribution of our products
7)
Host several
public fund raisers, with the first on June 21st (click here)
8)
Help students plan
and pull off their own fund-raising events
9)
Work with our
partner gardeners for maximum yields
10) Lease/purchase
more vacant land and assign students their own
What I love most about the Sweet Potato
Project is that anyone-from the Greater Ville to Chesterfield-can play a role. All
are welcome and they don’t need fancy labels or highfalutin degrees to join us. We need to surround our
youth with people willing to share their passions and experiences. I especially
urge the 20 and 30-somethings to simply come hang out with our students during
class times. We also need entrepreneurs of all stripes to share their ups &
downs and encourage our kids to strive for economic independence. We need folk
who realize that traditional academia doesn’t always cover the unique realities
of urban life and are willing to help fill in the gaps.
We need to surround our youth with people willing to share their passions and experiences. I especially urge the 20 and 30-somethings to simply come hang out with our students during class times.
If our mission resonates with you, I humbly ask
that you share it within your networks. Please re-tweet, share, forward--do
whatever it takes to reach as many people as possible. It’s going to take an
all-hands-on-deck engaged community effort to help our young people reclaim and
empower themselves, their families and their neighborhoods.
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| Benefit Concert for the Sweet Potato Project (click here for more information) |
Frederick Douglas once said, “There is no
progress without struggle.” Yes, we have our struggles but we also have
“community.” If we practice what we teach, expand our reach, get more donors
and volunteers involved, I’m convinced that the promise of “progress” is at
hand.
By Sylvester Brown, Jr.
Executive Director of the Sweet Potato Project
* Visit SPP's "List of needs" page (click here)
* Visit SPP's "Curriculum Schedule" page (click here)
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