CitySprouts is pleased to announce that it has been certified by Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, as a Service Enterprise! CitySprouts completed an extensive assessment, over 20 hours of training and coaching, and an extensive internal planning and change process to better integrate volunteers into our human capital strategy.

Concern about the cavernous gap in young people’s opportunity for careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is widely shared but few consider that the pipeline to successful STEM careers starts as early as age 3. Science learning has an important role even in preschool education, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center points out in their STEM Starts Early 2017 report.

CitySprouts relies on the help of skilled gardener volunteers to help keep our partner schools' gardens growing and thriving through the summer months. The Garden Volunteer commits to caring for a specific garden during some or all of the summer.

itySprouts will present their 2018 Environmental & Community Impact Award to science educator Karen Worth at a ceremony on May 9th, held at the Shire in Kendall Square, Cambridge. “Karen’s expertise and experience in children’s science education, and particularly for early childhood, echoes the foundational elements of CitySprouts’ vision. We are thrilled to be honoring her work with CitySprouts’ award this year,” said CitySprouts board president Dr. Jeff Perrin.

CitySprouts will be making an important change to our summer youth program in 2018.

We will hold one 6-week session, replacing the two 4-week sessions we've run up until now. The dates of the summer program will be July 2 through August 10. It will be held at the same four Cambridge sites as in the past (VLUS, RAUC, CSUS and PAUS) and the same hours each day (9am to 1pm). The honorarium to youth for completing the program will increase to $150.

Mark your calendars for Dig It! 2018. Help CitySprouts nurture curiosity in Boston and Cambridge school gardens.

CitySprouts Summer Program is based in Cambridge and provides 100 youth (ages 11-14) with hands-on learning through growing, harvesting, preparing and eating healthy food in an urban garden. With an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), the summer program fosters a strong connection to their natural urban environment through working and learning in the garden.

Reporting to the Program Director, the Operations Specialist will provide general operational support to CitySprouts programs, directly supervising Summer Fellowship program and support other staff that reports to the Program Director. The Operations Specialist will be out in the field (at our 23 sites) a majority of the time. The Operations Specialist is a full-time position.

This Fall, I will be helping the CitySprouts team get ready for our Spring fundraiser, Dig It! 2018. I will be working with local businesses in Cambridge and Boston to build a robust silent auction to support the fundraising efforts. Additionally, I will be assisting in implementing a multimedia content plan for CitySprouts. So be sure to look out for us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and in your email!

Week 2 of the CitySprouts middle school program brings the interns and their program staff out into the fields of Gaining Ground Farm in Concord, MA for a morning full of weeding and potato hunting. Gaining Ground, a nonprofit, organic farm which donates 100% of its produce to meal programs and food pantries in the greater Boston area, relies on the people power energy of groups of volunteers to grow their crops and welcomed the energy of the CitySprouts youth on the farm.