Phoenix Community Garden Youth Summer Internship in Partnership with Richard Beavers Gallery
IT TAKES A VILLAGE! In summer of 2022, Phoenix Community Garden, in partnership with Richard Beavers Gallery, launched a paid youth gardening internship for local youth this summer.This program developed leadership and wider community awareness and action on issues of nutrition, climate change, and environmental justice.
The program serviced eight youth ages 12 - 17 years old and was led by garden members as well as a DOE-certified teacher. Youth led farming activities, participated in workshops including bee-keeping, natural dying, bread-making and pickling and attended community field trips to local sustainable businesses.
The program was generously sponsored by an initial pledge of $10K from Richard Beavers Gallery and a crowdfunding campaign of $17K including a $5K match from ioby.
The Drawing Exchange
The Drawing Exchange, a virtual fine arts apprenticeship program led by Farah Mohammad in collaboration with Alpha Arts Alliance in summer of 2020. This program took a group of Brooklyn youth through an exploration of artistic styles and mediums. Farah activated her network and resources by inviting her peers at the Columbia MFA program as guest teachers. Reflecting on the experience, Farah says, “My peers are so intelligent— they were always available to discuss and develop the Drawing Exchange and its curriculum with me.”
Farah packaged and sent art materials to the students, some of whom lived in the buildings she used to work in during her time at Power of Two. For some of these students, it was their first time receiving and sending items in the mail. The program culminated in an online auction, where every student received bids for their artwork. Their work was acquired by private collections as far as the United Kingdom.
