Venture Description: Our venture Garden Angels, a youth-run organization transformed an abandoned, trash-filled vacant park into a community garden. Garden Angels also paints murals throughout the community, organizes poetry readings and chess tournaments, and works to increase awareness about youth issues and environmental sustainability within the East Flatbush community.

Venture Origin: Three years ago, as my English teacher read the book Seedfolks aloud to my class, an idea began to sprout in my mind. The book, written by Paul Fleischman, tells the tale of a young girl who plants lima beans in an abandoned lot. Neighbors of all ages and backgrounds watch as the tiny plants push through the soil. Soon, the community is working together to turn the lot into a garden for all to enjoy. My mind then filled with thoughts of a rat-infested, trash-filled vacant park in my neighborhood that was a popular hang out spot for gangs. “Why not?” I thought to myself, and with that, the Garden Angels were born.

Innovation: Several other organizations are currently serving the East Flatbush community. However, those organizations are more themes based as opposed to Garden Angels approach of developing programs from the community up rather than from the program down. The young people in the community help plan the programs we offer them. Therefore, they reflect the community needs. Garden Angels firmly believes that young people are not the sources of problems; but the resources that are needed to solve them. They are not expenses; but are investments.

Impact

Impact: My venture has created a Youth Friends Group at the East Flatbush Library to raise our community awareness and enthusiasm about the local library and raising funds to enhance the library. Since its launch in December 2002, Garden Angels’ purpose has been to create an environment that will promote change, hope, and beauty in the East Flatbush community. We have taken action against youth violence. The reconstruction of a garbage filled park into a garden as give the neighborhood something to be proud of. Yet the Garden Angels do much more than care for the community garden. Teens in my neighborhood don’t have a safe place to gather after school or on weekends, so we have set up shop at the local library. In 2005, we served over 150 teens monthly with our programs.

Engagement with the community: To pay for the operating costs of the Garden Angels, we campaign with neighborhood business owners for their tax-deductible donations. In addition, we have contacted big businesses (plants, corporations, and banks) and asked their community relations department to get involved with us. We approach all potential supporters and sponsors, like churches, schools, citizens groups, private businesses, and recreation departments. Garden Angels with the help of the youths in the community has conducted numerous fundraisings efforts; including craft, bake sales, car washes, and t-shirt sales.

Impact and engagement progress since launch: Every time we’re at our garden, someone comes over to us, shakes our hands and tells us what a great job we’re doing. They’re always shocked that it is the young people in the community – not the city, who did this. Most of our members now come from people seeing what we’re doing who came in and started to help. Garden Angels, has transformed an eyesore into a place of beauty, the greater impact is within because the young people involved are refusing to fill their lives with the ugliness and violence of gangs and crime. These young people are like seeds growing just beneath the soil. There is internal change going on in their minds and hearts, and soon, they will push through the ground with beauty and strength.

Impact and engagement strategy: We will continue to maintain a close relationship with the young people in our programs. We will have evaluations in the form of questionnaires given to the members of the community. Garden Angels believes that by empowering young people, we have the potential to inspire generations, as the teens involved with us, inspire and teach their younger siblings and neighbors about our works.

Awards: Daily Points of Light Award, The Gloria Barron Prize, Fleet Youth Entrepreneur Grand Prize Winner, State of NY Executive Chamber Award, Prudential Spirit of Community Award, Honored at George Bush's Inauguration event “America Future Rocks Today”, Honored by Brooklyn Public Library and SHiNE.

Budget

Amount of Youth Venture seed grant: $1000

Money raised: I have raised $4200 and brought into the Garden Angels from my personal budget over $2000 dollars. The funds raised came from organizations like SHiNE, Barron Prize, and Common Cents.

Creative ways of raising resources: We have raised money by campaigning with neighborhood business owners for their tax-deductible donations. We have approached all potential supporters and sponsors, like churches, school, citizens groups, and private businesses.

Strategy

Expansion plan for next 6 months: I will be working to secure funding to continue beautifying our garden, painting murals, and running our programs. At this time with out funding, we cannot expand our programs.

Plans for sustaining the project: In order to maintain Garden Angels and ensure that it will be an ongoing organization. I will expand our operation in the future. Motivational group meetings will teach teens the importance of getting involved in the improvement of their community and encouraging them to spread the word about us.

Vision for three years from now: I want to build a community center where my neighbors can gather, young and old. It’s especially important in my community because these young people have nothing else; there really isn’t anywhere safe in my community other than the library, that we young people can go to after school. Garden Angels will continue to serve and show the power of young people.

Project impact: For many years members of my community have complained about this vacant park, but no one did anything about it. They all just complained, waiting for someone else to come around and clean this park up. However, we were not just going to sit around and complain. We saw beauty and potential in this park, so with the help of the young people in the community. Garden Angels took matters into our own hands. Many of our peers did not understand why we wanted to clean this park up, but we really did not care what they thought. Garden Angels believes it’s our responsibility to keep our community and world safe, clean, and healthy. We have shown many people in our community, that there is so much we can do to make this world, if not perfect, at least safer, healthier, cleaner, and a lot more fun for us all to live in. Although I have created the Garden Angels, which has transformed an eyesore into a place of beauty, the greater change is within because the young people involved are refusing to fill their lives with the ugliness and violence of gangs and crime. These young people are like seeds growing just beneath the soil. There is internal change going on in their minds and hearts, and soon, they will push through the ground with beauty and strength. Garden Angels created an atmosphere of peace and compassion among many of the youths in the community. Garden Angels have a vision, a lofty ideal in our heart, to make a positive influence on the youths in our community, to make a difference, for the next ten, twenty, or forty years from now. The Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh once said, “Our body is not limited to what lies inside the boundary of our skin. Our body is much greater, much more immense. If the layer of air around our earth disappears even for an instant, “our‿ life will end.‿ If we all look at our body and the world in that one sense we would see, that whatever we do to our Earth, we do to ourselves. There is nothing that should not concern us; if we hear a child crying, I believe it’s our responsibility to see what is wrong with that child. That child could someday be the greatest human being, of their time. That is the message I try give to every young person in our programs.

Youth Venture movement - what it means and how you can contribute: It means a great deal to me and many of the Garden Angels members to be a part of this great movement. Youth Venture, has shown the power of young people when we’re giving the resources to create change within our communities. I have learned from Youth Venture that it’s important for young people to be self-reliant, hard working, and maintain a positive attitude about our world. My venture will continue to be dedicated to the Youth Venture movement. In addition, we will encourage the young people in my community to be involved with Youth Venture.

Author:
Shawn
United States