Where it All Began

The youth program at Walnut Way started long before 2004. Larry and Sharon Adams have been working in the vacant lots transforming them into vegetable and flowers gardens and the children have come along to help ever since they have gotten started. The children were engaged in all sorts of projects, whether it was planting or maintaing the gardens. They were also involved in the harvesting and selling of the produce at farm stands. Last summer programs were held twice a week and included regular activities for the children, such as taking walks around the neighborhood and talking about what they were seeing and the things that were going on. That summer was called “Agua de la communidad”. Topics that were talked about were neighborhood water and what it meant. The group took lots of field trips, to places like the botanical gardens and the state fair. The children are nine years and older and are able to grasp a lot of the educational concepts. The Walnut Way youth group is not strictly educational, though a large component is educational and they try to incorporate education in all their activities. Its much more learning by experience, hands on.