Youth Farmers Market

HomeBridge’s Youth Farmer’s Market has taken different forms in the 12 years we have been running this program.  There have been discounted market’s at the Dartmouth Senior’s Service Centre, pre-order and contactless pick up versions during the COVID-19 restrictions and public markets on site at the Reigh Allen Centre.  We continue evolve and adapt to meet the current conditions and ever changing needs of the young people who take part.  What remains constant, however, is the positive impact it has on the young people who make this program come to life.

This life and employability skill building program involved nine young people this year.  It all started with an orientation, conducted by our Recreation Therapist.  This included discussions about commitment, work ethic, attitude and customer service.  The youth experience practice job interviews and sign a contract outlining that they are committed to the project and understand what is expected of them as part of this process. Then the real work begins.

They travelled to the Annapolis Valley and spend a full day harvesting produce, while they learned about farming practices and how to handle and store fresh fruits and vegetables.  The next day was spent sorting and packaging their produce for sale and preparing all of their signs and promotional flyers.  Some extra keen young people even made baked goods, tie-dye shirts and pieces of art to sell along with the fresh goods.

Mother Nature delivered a gorgeous day for their public market.  They set up in front of the Reigh Allen Centre and invited everyone around to come check out what they had for sale. This gave them great experience with customer service, and sales and marketing tactics as they coaxed customers in and sold them on the quality of their products.  The obviously did a good job because they sold out of nearly everything by the time they shut down their stand for the day.

This meaningful program is supported by the Youth Development Initiative and provides the young people with real experience they can list on their resume.  Everyone earned an honourarium for their efforts and received a personalized report from the Recreation Therapist outlining their strengths and overall performance during the program.  Thank you to everyone who supports this program and helps to make it such a positive experience for the young people.