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Ready to learn more about gardening and growing your own food? Say hello to Stephanie Elwood, Baton Roots’ newest curriculum developer. This professional horticulturist, landscaper, and instructor joined the Baton Roots team this summer and is eager to help create an engaging curriculum for people to learn the essentials of growing. Learn more about Elwood, her thoughts on urban farming, and her plans for the organization below. Q&A with Stepanie Elwood aka The Garden Lady Tell me about what you do… As The Garden Lady, I do residential and commercial landscaping, maintenance, and community garden work. I teach cannabis and horticultural classes like plant propagation, how to make cuttings and what to grow during certain seasons. Tell me about your role at Baton Roots… I’m doing curriculum development. Curriculum development for this particular project is creating three levels of the Baton Roots Hustle & Grow program. I get to take everything that I’ve learned in almost 12 years of growing food, working with youth, all the food justice knowledge and put it all on paper. What are your plans for the future of Baton Roots? I hope that we can work together as a team to really capture everything that Baton Roots is doing plus utilize all of the experience that I have and put it into helping the program have a very solid backbone and be able to replicate it in other cities where they want to focus on urban farming and food justice. Why are community gardens and urban farms so important? Keeping farms close to where you're at, keeping them smaller, really getting the most amount of production and yield out of a smaller space of land, that's the future of farming. Why did you start growing? Gardening saves my life. It saves my life physically by giving me fresh produce for myself and my family, it saves my life mentally by helping me with my mental health, anxiety, depression, anything like that. Being connected to nature always reminds me that everything will be okay and everything is always changing. It’s just magic. What’s one piece of advice you would give to new growers or potential new growers? It can be a scary thing to want to leap into. I can say with full confidence: Mother nature will take care of you. If you say, ‘this is how I want to make a living,’ literally off of the land, she will take care of you.

In early June, a handful of students from Mayor Broome's 2021 Mayor's Youth Workforce Experience (MYWE) arrived at Baton Roots' Capitol High site to participate in an 8-week summer program provided in partnership with Big Buddy. The career preparedness program leads young people through four identified pillars: mentor support, training and enrichment, civic responsibility, and social-emotional learning skills. Jada Alexander, a returning participant of the program, is a recent graduate of Madison Prep with aspirations to attend the LSU College of Agriculture in the fall. Alexander states: "I LOVE Baton Roots. This is my second summer with the program. For some people it can be difficult to get fresh food so I enjoy being a part of helping grow food for people." Alexander is one of four dedicated young people joining the Baton Roots team to spend the coming weeks working diligently to hone career readiness skills while joining in the farm's efforts to combat food insecurity through food access, education, and practical skill-building. One such skill is cooking and preparing food. MYWE participants joined Capitol High summer school students during a recent June session to learn how to cook farm fresh produce with Chef Traci and the American Heart Association. Students learned to prepare freshly harvested zephyr squash, along with a rainbow of sautéed veggies, scrambled eggs, pico de gallo, and rice. Such demos include information about fresh produce, cooking techniques, and education about the benefits of fresh vegetables. SK Groll, Baton Roots' Program Coordinator of Ops, reflected on the learning opportunities available at the Baton Roots farm: "[We] work with young people enrolled in MYWE to teach practical agricultural skills. Students learn to grow seedlings, plants vegetables, maintain garden sites, harvest, and prepare produce for local markets. In working with young people, we hope that they experience the joys of garden work, learn about sustainable farm practices, and explore possible future careers in urban agriculture." Follow along with the Baton Roots MYWE cohort this summer through Baton Roots' social media and subscribing to our newsletter. Interested in getting involved with Baton Roots? Submit a volunteer application here!

In late May, the Baton Roots team happily welcomed SK Groll (they/them) as the new Baton Roots Program Coordinator of Operations. SK is passionate about education, place-making, plants, and joyful community spaces. SK received their bachelor's degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, and has a master's degree in Anthropology from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. When they aren't working with The Walls Project and Baton Roots, you can find SK listening to poems at Eclectic Truth Open Mic & Poetry Slam, skating with Red Stick Roller Derby, or lounging about with their dogs. Come by Baton Roots farm to see all the amazing work SK and the team are doing to bring food access, agricultural knowledge, and, of course, joy to Baton Rouge!

For the Walls Project team, every donation to the organization is special. Whether it’s from a community partner, a volunteer, or a family member, every contribution makes a difference. Sometimes, the stories behind Walls Project contributors and donors pull at the heartstrings more than average. This month, it was Vielka Valdez. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Director of Benefit Operations won a $1,000 donation to the charity of her choice during their Team Blue Thank You Party and chose The Walls Project Futures Fund program. “My son George Castillo used to be one of the photography instructors for the Walls Project and he would always tell me about the important work that you do in providing youth with practical training to develop new skills,” Valdez said to Walls Project. “I am glad this Blue Cross donation will help support your mission.” Futures Fund is a tech-based program for teens and young adults founded in 2014. It offers coding and photography courses and workshops virtually and before the pandemic offered them in-person in Baton Rouge. This isn’t the first time Blue Cross has supported Walls Project efforts. Through working with Geaux Get Healthy, one of Baton Roots' partners, Blue Cross has helped fund the maintenance and expansion of Baton Roots Community Farm. The community farm provides fresh fruits and vegetables to food deserts and educates the community about growing their own food and flowers. Thank you, Vielka, and to the rest of the BCBS family!

As students across the Greater Baton Rouge Area prepare for summer vacation, students at Capitol High School were preparing something a little bit different. In October 2020, in collaboration with Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome’s Geaux Get Healthy initiative, Baton Roots broke ground on a half-acre urban garden on Capitol High School’s campus. The Capitol High garden now serves as a hub for fresh produce in N. Baton Rouge while providing students with hands-on agriculture experience through the Baton Roots youth training program. Hustle and Grow, led by Baton Roots staff, provides youth at three N. Baton Rouge high schools - Capitol High, Glen Oaks High, and Scotlandville High - with the opportunity to develop leadership, business, and agriculture skills while advancing their knowledge of and access to healthy eating practices. On April 27th, Chef Traci Vincent of the Louisiana Culinary Institute joined American Heart Association Community Impact Director Chelsea Morgan to lead a cooking demonstration for Capitol High students. A little over twenty students participated in the on-campus session. Chef Traci demonstrated kitchen knife safety as she led students in preparing heart healthy recipes of roasted and sautéed zucchini, roasted potatoes and cooked-down collard greens right from the Capitol High garden. Students eagerly followed along, asking questions and, of course, enjoying plenty of taste tests. Through demonstrations like these, students are given the tools to prepare and bring fresh, nutritious meals home with them. Interested in heart healthy cooking? Check out the AHA recipe resource webpage and be sure to volunteer at one of Baton Root’s several farm locations to pick up some fresh veggies for yourself while giving back to your community!

Our youth-led empowerment conference JOLTcon is back, virtual, and better than ever. Teens: this is your chance to get real talk and gain new skills in exclusive workshops and discussions with professionals and experts. Presented by The Futures Fund and supported by LCTF, this conference is going to really electrify the teens of our city. Want a crash course on coding? Interested in photography? Want to hear inspiring stories from teens and young adults? This is your chance to be involved in different workshops that will ignite your passion for the arts. Workshops will include an introduction to coding, an introduction to photography, learning about different communication styles, and finding ways to your best self. Participants can expect to receive goodie bags, get connected with other youth in the community, and have the opportunity to be face to face with local leaders. Do something that will benefit your present and your future. You’re never too young to start creating the life of your dreams. Register now for JOLTcon on June 25 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

[BATON ROUGE, LA]—Walls Project has been approved for a $30,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant for Arts Projects to support the continued beautification of Baton Roots. This project will help install public art and aesthetic features in and around the Baton Roots Community Farm at BREC Howell Park in North Baton Rouge for adaptive re-use of the once underutilized golf course. The Baton Roots art installation is among more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding. “As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations such as Walls Project reengage fully with partners and audiences,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “Although the arts have sustained many during the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure.” “This is an incredible opportunity to bring even more vibrancy to this space,” Walls Project Executive Director, Casey Phillips, said. “We are excited to bring art, for everyone in Baton Rouge to enjoy, to the farm.” Walls Project plans to install public art and aesthetic features in and around the Baton Roots main site at BREC Howell Park. This project will expand the use of the space, now a thriving urban farm, to become a site with a safe and inviting arts-filled outdoor space for residents, while still providing healthy affordable food from the community garden and farmers market. For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant the announcement, visit arts.gov/news. # # #

Futures Fund’s pilot Coding Boot Camp class has officially walked across the virtual stage. Adults from various backgrounds completed multiple levels of coding for the web courses to receive a certificate of completion and an opportunity to take two CIW certification exams to help them seek better employment or to begin their journey into higher education. Now that they are trained and ready to take on the tech industry, Walls Project wanted to know what the Coding Boot Camp alumni learned from the experience, their proudest achievements, and what they have planned for the future. Interested in starting your own journey? Sign up for the next Coding Boot Camp session. In the meantime, read what our recent grads had to say: Kristen White “Going through the Boot Camp helped me realize that I can achieve anything that I want to do. It delivered a boost to my confidence and helped me take my life and my future into my own hands after battling several health crises. I could go on and on about the support that I've received from the staff from day one.” “My future plans include continuing to learn all I can in the tech industry, so that I may become skilled at full-stack development and eventually become an independent consultant and programmer. Those plans aren't set in stone, because I anticipate that this industry will surprise me with opportunities I've never considered.” Kristian E. Wilson “It was the accessibility and timing that really led to my interest in taking this boot camp. This was also my first learning experience in a totally virtual space, aside from helping my own children during distance learning. I was able to adapt but what helped, even more, is that I got to see these same faces and still connect with them over the course of our tenure with the program.” “Currently I work in healthcare in an admin-intake position working from home. I have total interest in seeing how I can be a part of the growing TeleHealth avenue. I know with what I learned with Futures Fund, my tech confidence that has been built, and my 10+ years in healthcare, I am sure to be in a position to leave my stamp in this tech world.” Laura Bowling “I was inspired to join Coding Boot Camp because I see the lack of women representing the many different fields in technology and wanted training and certification to prove my capabilities as a female coder. The program also inspired me to never doubt my capabilities and grow to love to learn again.” “I plan to continue learning, including Python, and I hope to teach coding and help other women realize their potential as a coder. I currently have a full-time job, but I would love to freelance and build an income that I can control.” “My biggest takeaway from the experience was that I could accomplish this without hesitation. I felt like it was out of my league in the beginning but as I got going, I knew I could successfully complete it, and it felt great to be successful at something.”

In March 2020, The Walls Project in conjunction with community leaders and organizations across the city began hosting weekly virtual calls to gather a pulse on the growing COVID-19 crisis in Baton Rouge. While the calls initially sought to establish means of communication and coordination in response to the pandemic, it became clear that the needs of the community demanded long-term strategies and solutions to address the 9 Drivers of Poverty. Every Friday for the past year, over 200 community leaders have gathered via Zoom to share information and begin the process of creating lasting strategic initiatives to combat the persistent and systemic issues plaguing Baton Rouge and Louisiana. Featured speakers discussed topics ranging from food insecurity to workforce development in the capital region. On Friday, April 16th, the one-year anniversary of the community calls, The Walls Project and MetroMorphosis proudly announced their official partnership in creating the #OneRouge Coalition, which will spearhead nine respective coalitions to address each of the 9 Drivers of Poverty. The #​OneRouge Coalition aims to unite organizations already doing great work in the community through developed strategies leading to accomplished goals, more persons served, and the creation and sustainment of a state where residents have the power to escape poverty. Raymond Jetson and Sherreta Harrison of MetroMorphosis joined Casey Phillips of The Walls Project in calling for community commitment: by working together and preventing the siloing of information, civic and community leaders can maximize their ability to tackle the systemic barriers that allow poverty to flourish. The organization has begun through an open-facing work document detailing organizations across Baton Rouge working directly to confront each driver of poverty. We encourage you to visit the document if you believe you or your organization can contribute to the coalition’s work! View and Share the #OneRouge Working Document #OneRouge 2020 Report #OneRouge Meeting Notes Addendum Join Weekly Friday Calls

Veterans: you’re in luck. Starting a career in the technology industry just got easier. This April, Capital Area United Way awarded Futures Fund $25,000 toward veterans in the Coding Boot Camp. Futures Fund plans to use the funds to support veterans who want to take coding courses, continue their education and start a technology career. Veterans in the Coding Boot Camp will have the opportunity to get paid as they expand their coding knowledge. After each level of the program is complete, Walls will award a $300 stipend to the veteran. Responsibilities include finished coursework, passing tests, finished project-based learning, conducting capstone presentations, and attending the job fair. Since there are three levels of the Coding Boot Camp, each veteran can earn up to $900 in paid work experience compensation. Once the veteran completes all of the levels, Walls Project will award them a $100 stipend to support ongoing technology pursuits. The stipend can go toward expenses such as costs associated with internet access, covering registration fees to attain industry-based certifications, and helping cover costs associated with continuing technical education at an IT training organization or local higher education. In total, the individual investments supporting veterans in training will add up to no more than $1000 per person. With the $25,000 award, Futures Fund can help pay veterans, give them new technological skills and grant them access to new career opportunities. It’s a win-win for everyone. Click here to learn more about Futures Fund Coding Boot Camp.

Baton Rouge is getting greener. In collaboration with the East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority, Baton Roots has developed six modular “Harmony Gardens” at housing authority sites in North Baton Rouge. The locations include Ardenwood, Monte Sano, Turner Plaza, Capitol Square, Sharlo Terrace, and Kelly Terrace. In the future, Baton Roots plans to add more community gardens at five more spots. Beginning in January 2021, Baton Roots staff and volunteers installed raised beds, filled them with soil, planted seedlings, maintained irrigation systems, and provided regular maintenance each week. Once the crops are ready to harvest, local residents can pick fresh produce right from their backyard. Seedlings include tomato, cucumber, okra, and eggplant. Residents also have access to free garden training with Baton Roots staff. Want to help grow and maintain community gardens with us? Sign up to volunteer here. Follow Baton Roots on Instagram and Facebook for updates on our progress.

Meet some of the women behind Baton Roots and find out what’s growing at the farm. Temperatures are rising and plants are thriving at the Baton Roots Community Farm. As the program continues to expand, new team members, volunteers, and spring crops are making Baton Roots a brighter place. This season, the farm team planted foods like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, beans, squash, okra, and basil. They also planted flowers like zinnias, marigolds, sunflowers, and cosmos. Once the fruits and vegetables are harvested beginning in May, Baton Roots plans to sell them to partners like Top Box Louisiana and at local pop-up markets. They also plan to distribute produce to food pantries like HOPE Ministries, volunteers, and local communities. In celebration of National Garden Month, Walls Project spoke with three of Baton Roots’ team members to learn more about what they do and why urban farms are important. We photographed them surrounded by eye-catching flower arrangements and artistic floral displays at the first Flower Fest at Pointe Marie in Baton Rouge. It was a florist’s dream come true. Read what the Baton Roots team shared below and sign up to volunteer at batonrootsvolunteer.paperform.co. Shivonne Marshall, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator What is your favorite part about Baton Roots? I love being able to work with the students in (Hustle and Grow), learning how to properly grow plants, and seeing all the happy faces of people when they receive produce. What do you wish more people knew about Baton Roots? I wish people knew how easy it was to connect with us. Why are urban farms important to have? Especially in Baton Rouge? Urban farms are important because they are great resources for fresh produce. They are especially important in Baton Rouge because of the limited access to healthy food options. Residents can utilize Baton Roots to connect to nature, friendly people, and fresh food. Aeryn Ardoin, Lead Farmhand Tell me about your role at Baton Roots… I wear many hats and enjoy them all! As a Lead Farmhand, I work under my director, Mitchell Provensal, and guide our farmhands in carrying out daily activities, largely at one of our main farm sites, Capitol High School. I also teach Hustle and Grow classes, which gives me the opportunity to teach EBR high school students the skills necessary to grow their own food. I currently monitor all of the mobile sites built through our partnership with the East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority. When possible, I assist when we sell our produce at local markets, such as Scotlandville Saturdays and I perform a myriad of other functions whenever possible. What is your favorite part about Baton Roots? My favorite part of Baton Roots is the opportunity to positively impact the city that raised me. Baton Rouge is on the rise and being able to enrich the lives of people around me and contribute to the betterment of our future as a whole is both a grave responsibility and rewarding labor of love that I greatly cherish. Our supportive upline, our hardworking staff, and our receptive community are some reasons why I greatly enjoy my position with Baton Roots! What do you wish more people knew about Baton Roots? There are several ways that they can get involved! We offer regular workshops where community members can come learn how to start and improve their own home growing operations. Volunteers are always welcome and encouraged to sign up to assist at Howell Park, Capitol High, or any of our Housing Authority sites. Our gardens are open to anyone looking to come out and harvest our offerings for themselves. Donate to the organization; patronize our events; like, follow and share our social media outlets and correspondences. Blow your horn when you pass us working in the field. Every act of support is greatly supported and appreciated! Why are urban farms important to have? Especially in Baton Rouge? Urban farms are important to fill the increasing void that grocery stores will be more and more unable to supply. Global warming, a growing population, constant recalls, and questionable mass-produced food quality are just some of the many reasons why urban farms are so important. They offer the opportunity to try varieties that grocery stores can't or won't supply because they may not travel or store as well as those which are most commonly available. One reason why urban farming is especially important in Baton Rouge is to supply food deserts, low-income communities with scarce availability to healthy produce, with fresh and local fruit and vegetables. Urban farming decreases our carbon footprint and leads us to a more self-sustainable existence where eating locally can meet our citizens' agricultural needs while closing the income gap and still showing a financial profit! Roshanna Lee, Volunteer What is your favorite part about Baton Roots? My favorite part about Baton Roots is how knowledgeable and passionate they are about the development of the farms. What do you wish more people knew about Baton Roots? I wish more people knew how embracing Baton Roots staff is when answering various questions in regards to making your garden grow step-by-step. Why are urban farms important to have? Especially in Baton Rouge? In communities where health issues are on the rise, fresh produce being available [at urban farms] will promote a meaningful and healthier lifestyle, especially in Baton Rouge.