This article is part of Concentrate's Voices of Youth series, which features stories written by Washtenaw County youth with guidance from Concentrate staff mentors. In this installment, student writer Tova Weiss takes a look into the work of the Growing Hope Teen Leadership Program. 

For years, Jaylah Cotton’s family lived paycheck-to-paycheck, relying on food stamps to put food on the table. After Cotton’s mother was hospitalized from an injury, Cotton spent the majority of her childhood living with her grandparents.

"[My grandparents] always fed me, put food on the table, kept the pantry full, and everything like that," says Cotton, now a senior at Skyline High School. 

When she moved back in with her mother, though, Cotton says she lost that kind of consistency. Sometimes, even with food stamps, Cotton says the fridge is a little bit empty, or she has to be creative when assembling meals. In spite of that, though, Cotton considers herself lucky. She’s never had to go hungry. 

"There's always something to eat if I'm not being picky," she says.

During the summers, Cotton’s family was able to access fresh produce for free by keeping a home garden. In addition to helping to keep her family fed, gardening became a favorite hobby for Cotton.
Doug CoombeGrowing Hope Teen Leadership Program member Jaylah Cotton.
Drawn in by the opportunity to hone and develop her passion for gardening, Cotton applied for a job as a member of Ypsilanti-based nonprofit Growing Hope’s Teen Leadership Program last year. Looking back now, Cotton sees her experiences as deeply interconnected, from the circumstances during which she started gardening in the first place to the work she does now at Growing Hope.

Growing Hope's mission is focused on promoting food access for families in the Ypsilanti area. At the Growing Hope Urban Farm — a brightly painted, homey building amidst sprawling gardens — community members grow, harvest, and cook fresh produce. Outside of the farm, the nonprofit supports and sells at local farmers markets; runs the Growing Hope Incubator Kitchen, a commercial-grade kitchen for start-up food businesses; and does community-wide outreach and education programming with a focus on improving food independence and access. 
Doug CoombeEli Harris, Sienna Troy, Jenny Pritchett, Josephine Smith, Esha Biswas, and Tuula Martinez at a Growing Hope Teen Leadership Program meeting.
The Growing Hope Teen Leadership Program is a job opportunity and educational program for high schoolers living in Ypsilanti and surrounding areas. The program begins with an eight-week-long paid summer intensive at Growing Hope’s Urban Farm location. Teens work on the farm and participate in workshops on topics like food justice and social identity. After completing that, teens are given the opportunity to participate in an after-school program three days a week during the school year, where the teens both attend and facilitate community engagement events and build leadership skills.

Jenny Pritchett is one of two Teen and Schools managers who support the Teen Leadership Program. A former school teacher, they applied to work with Growing Hope after becoming fed up with the school system and wanting to do work they could feel good about. 

"Our workshops are teaching about the Growing Hope mission and how to be a leader in the local food systems," Pritchett says. "All of our teens will be empowered to be leaders in the movement towards food sovereignty in our community." 
Doug CoombeGrowing Hope Teen and Schools Manager Jenny Pritchett.
Food sovereignty is a term that’s used a lot at Growing Hope. The phrase refers to the opposite of food insecurity — having access to a diverse selection of foods, knowledge of how to prepare those foods, and autonomy over which foods to eat. Many Ypsilanti residents lack food sovereignty. As of 2022, 12.5% of Washtenaw County’s population faces food insecurity, according to Feeding America. 

"Food insecurity is a huge issue in the county, especially in Ypsilanti," says Pritchett. "A big issue in Ypsi, too, is not having access to local foods." 

According to Pritchett, many Ypsilanti residents have historically purchased food from a liquor store located right next to Growing Hope. Having the farm next door provides another, healthier option, where people can pick up locally sourced fresh produce.

Food insecurity hits youth especially hard. An estimated 12.3% of children in Washtenaw County are food insecure, according to Feeding America. Facing food insecurity as a child can have lasting adverse impacts on cognitive, emotional, and physical health, resulting in poor performance in school, increased risk of disease, malnutrition, and more. In addition to the health impacts, there are also often social effects, says sophomore Nick Corvera-Garay, a first-year member of the Growing Hope Youth Leadership Program. 

"Youth often get bullied or teased for not having access to food," says Corvera-Garay. "I think having youth in a space where it's okay to talk about your situation and giving resources to help is really important."
Doug CoombeGrowing Hope Teen Leadership Program member Nick Corvera-Garay.
That's just one of the many reasons that Teen Leadership Program members think it's important for organizations like Growing Hope to involve youth in conversations about food insecurity.

"I think there should be more [organizations like Growing Hope] because they are really community involved and they help people at all different stages of life, all different ages, all different backgrounds, because everyone goes through different things," says Cotton. "It's important for people to know what's in their community that can help them."

In addition to the greater community impact Growing Hope has, the Teen Leadership Program has changed participants' lives. Both Corvera-Garay and Cotton say they’re extremely grateful to have the opportunity to be at Growing Hope. Pritchett and her colleagues work hard to develop engaging programming and foster a safe, healthy environment where teens experience life-changing personal growth. 

"I was kind of in a bad place mentally before I started working here," says Corvera-Garay. "I think just being outside and connecting with other people my age was really important for me. ... There's just something so magical about going outside and seeing something that you grew and you took care of thriving. I think that really helped my mental health."

Cotton, an aspiring teacher, says she gained skills that she thinks will stay with her for the long term and help her pursue her dreams. She says that since starting working at Growing Hope, she’s become more confident and outspoken. 

"I feel more comfortable stepping into a leader position and guiding people," she says.
Doug CoombeA meeting of the Growing Hope Teen Leadership Program.
Throughout the year, teens in the leadership program do various work related to agriculture and the food system. They learn how to cook healthy recipes like pesto and fried rice using vegetables they grow themselves, and facilitate workshops for the wider community to learn those same skills. On Tuesday, May 20th, Growing Hope teens will collaborate with members of the Washtenaw County Youth Commission’s Food Insecurity Taskforce to host a public event at the Growing Hope Urban Farm. The event promises to "fight food insecurity one bowl of ramen at a time," through a ramen cooking workshop. Additionally, participants will learn how to identify edible weeds as part of a tour of the Growing Hope farm, play a trivia game with questions about local food-related issues, learn about local resources for those fighting food insecurity, and more. You can register here for their upcoming event. 

Corvera-Garay, a self-described forager, is especially excited to show Washtenaw County residents the edible, nutritious "weeds" growing right under our noses. 

"I love the idea of just spreading the word about how easy and simple it can be to eat with fresh fruits and vegetables," Corvera-Garay says. "I know that's a thing that people struggle with, especially if they haven't had access to it before, and just showing that it really is as simple as sauteeing a couple vegetables or going outside and grabbing things from your yard."
Doug CoombeEli Harris, Josephine Smith, Nick Corvera-Garay, Tuula Martinez, Jaylah Cotton, and Sienna Troy at a Growing Hope Teen Leadership Program meeting.
That’s just one example of the work Growing Hope teens do to impact the lives of Washtenaw County residents. Growing Hope’s teen program is one of a kind, with no comparable programs in Michigan. Growing Hope itself is unique as well, addressing a need that is ignored in many areas. 

"Our teens are a vital part to our organization," says Pritchett. "We couldn't do our work without the young people involved in it."

It’s youth who will determine the future of the food system, Pritchett believes. Today’s youth will one day make the decisions that will either reduce or promote hunger both locally and worldwide. Educating teens about food-related topics and empowering them to grow and cook food can change their lives and others. 

"Food is at the foundation of everyone's being," Pritchett says. "We all need to eat."

High school junior and lifelong Ann Arborite Tova Weiss is dedicated to using language and creativity to make a positive impact on the world. Outside of writing, Tova loves music, social advocacy, and cooking.

Concentrate managing editor served as Tova's mentor on this story.