Youth are the future!

Through all our programming, we aim to cultivate the next generation of leaders in food justice & health equity.

Programs are tailored to meet the specific interests, structure and capacity of each school. Here’s what’s going on in schools around the city:

F.l.y. (Food Systems Leadership for youth)

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Applications for the 2020 FLY Cohort are now live! Click here to fill out the online application.

The FLY internship is a paid opportunity for youth aged 14-18 that includes learning sessions at CSFR’s growing site, immersive field trips, and the chance to develop impactful, self-directed projects. Interns also become food ambassadors in their community, helping with community events and planning their own. 

With food as the vehicle, the FLY Internship program focuses on economic justice, health equity, and community resilience. Youth spend time on weekends and over the summer learning to cultivate, compost, and cook food. They make choices about what to grow and what to learn about. They meet members of their community with expertise and wisdom to share, growing connections to their neighbors as they grow skills such as gardening, cooking, canning, construction, and organizing. 

The curriculum is broken into four sections:

  1. Cook: How is food connected to my sense of who I am? What are the ingredients we need for a growthful program?

  2. Compost: What is at the root of how food is produced and distributed in our country and community?

  3. Cultivate: How can we cultivate a more just, free, sovereign food system in our community? What would that look like in the world?

  4. Communicate: How might we share what I have learned with people who are important to me and those who helped me learn?

We’re so excited to see who will join us in growing and eating food together this year. Applications are due April 3rd, 2020. Final decisions will be made by April 30th and the program begins May 9th, 2020. 

See the application itself for more details on dates, compensation, and expectations. You can access the application by downloading the PDF here, talking to a guidance counselor at one of the schools listed below, or filling out the online application.

  • Community Prep School

  • Galileo Middle School

  • Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy

  • Harrison High School

  • Mitchell High School

  • Palmer High School

  • Sierra High School

School Food Rescues

Working with students, faculty and staff, CSFR has started food rescues in the cafeterias of schools in Districts 11, 2 and 20:

  • Challenger Middle School

  • General William Palmer High School

  • Sierra High School

  • Atlas Preparatory School

  • Stratton Meadows Elementary School

  • Fountain Valley School

  • Your school! Interested? Reach out: info@coloradospringsfoodrescue.org

    These programs both educate students on minimizing their waste and make a tangible impact on diversion.

    Want to start a food rescue at your school? Reach out to our Director of Programs, Patience Kabwasa, for more information: patience@coloradospringsfoodrescue.org

Bike shifts

Students at Community Prep High School can get credit for volunteering in Fresh Food Connect. On a weekly shift during the growing season, a group of 1-5 students, teachers, staff and volunteers use pedal-power to pickup donated produce from local gardeners and deliver it to CSFR’s grocery programs. It’s good exercise for a good cause. Learn more about Fresh Food Connect.

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