Monday, September 24, 2012

Growing Power National & International Urban & Small Farm Conference

Dear friends,

I hope the start of fall is treating you well.  I had the opportunity to visit Milwaukee, Wisconsin a few weeks ago to attend Growing Power's National & International Urban & Small Farm Conference.  I went for my Senior Independent Study research on urban agriculture in Cleveland, Ohio, to explore post-Wooster options, and just for fun.  I was impressed at the diversity of conference attendees, as it is often difficult to find sustainability-related events that are fully inclusive.  I also appreciated the willingness of conference participants to talk about justice and race (which is probably because there were people of color in attendance).

Erika at the Growing Power headquarters.

During the conference was fortunate enough to go on a tour of Growing Power's national headquarters.  Growing Power, founded by farmer Will Allen, is a very famous urban agriculture organization.  They are working to ensure that all communities have access to tasty, healthy, culturally appropriate, and sustainable food.  They provide training  to aspiring farmers and youth at their headquarters in Milwaukee and also at Regional Training Centers with partner organizations throughout the country.  Growing Power is focused on teaching low-tech, high-profit methods of agriculture that can allow small farmers to make a living by farming.  Such methods include growing in greenhouses, aquaponics, microgreens, mushrooms, and vermicomposting.  The organization also grows food on farms in Wisconsin and Illinois, managed by a diverse staff of 140 individuals.

Will Allen gave the tour at GP's HQ.

Chiles (would be popular with the farmers at Adelante Mujeres).

Growing Power runs much of their headquarters on solar power.

One of my favorite parts was the goats.

Growing Power is also a founder of the Growing Food and Justice For All Initiative (GFJI), which is a collaborative network of individuals and organizations that are growing a movement to dismantle racism in our food system.  I got to hear from a number of inspiring individuals involved in this initiative as well as participate in GFJI activities like creating murals and public theater performances. 

Conference participants were invited to help construct a mural
for part of the GFJI intitiative.  This mural will go to Chicago.


GFJI's presence at the conference also included an ever-burning fire
(maintained by representatives from indigenous communities) and a
sociodrama on agriculture, adopted from Latin American traditions.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Adelante Mujeres Celebrating 10 Years: Part 10 of 10


Note: This article is the last in a ten-part series, leading up to Adelante Mujeres' 10th Anniversary Celebration on Wednesday September 12th at the Forest Grove Farmers Market.  For more details, see the Adelante Mujeres website.

Written by Charles Drummond

Sister Barbara is co-founder of Adelante Mujeres.

“It was like watching flowers grow.” Sister Barbara Raymond knew that she and co-founder Bridget Cooke had made the right decision to launch Adelante Mujeres in 2002 as she watched the 12 education-starved Latina women who formed the original pilot project blossom before her eyes.

As the Forest Grove-based nonprofit prepares to celebrate its 10-year anniversary on Sept. 12, I had the opportunity to sit down with Sister Barbara to discuss where the organization has come from and where it is headed. Although she retired from Adelante Mujeres four years ago, she is still actively engaged as a volunteer.

It’s easy to understand why she has been such an effective influence on the organization and the lives of those she taught. I couldn’t help but think of the Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day ... teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Sister Barbara’s approach to education has focused on not just teaching reading, writing, English or math, but also opening up opportunities for learners to become engaged advocates for themselves and their communities.

She grew up in nearby St. Paul, Ore., and spoke fondly about the influence it had on the direction of her career. She was the oldest of eight children and while still in high school helped supplement the family income by working in the fields and on the farm.

“You might say we were poor but I didn’t know it because everyone around me didn’t have much either,” she said. “Many of my early friends were migrants who came to work in the fields.”

Discovering her path

Sister Barbara believes it was during those years that she subconsciously made the decision for her life’s work. “I wanted to retain a connection with people like me — with people who didn’t have much,” she said.
Nobody in her family had ever gone to college and she never imagined that she would. That is, until she turned 17, “felt the call” and left for Sisters of the Holy Names and Marylhurst University.

“At Marylhust I discovered that I loved teaching. After graduating, I taught at the elementary level for many years and high school for eight years,” she said.

One of her last jobs in public education was a bittersweet moment for her. As head of the religion department and student activities in a Catholic high school that would suddenly be closed, she had to decide how to write the next chapter in her life.

“I had begun studying Spanish shortly before and realized that I wanted to work in a Hispanic community,” she said.

Soon she found herself in the lobby of Centro Cultural in Cornelius, volunteering “to sweep floors, wash dishes, anything to be of service.” Her “volunteer” status quickly turned into a position as education director, which lasted 10 years.

It was during her tenure at Centro Cultural that she met Bridget Cooke. The two collaborated on a number of programs, one of which formed the core concept of Adelante Mujeres.

While working with immigrant families, they noticed that some organizational structures made it difficult for women to participate in programs being offered. Sister Barbara and Cooke began working on a plan to develop classes specifically for women. What began as simple arts and crafts soon blossomed into much more.

“We asked the participants, “if you could do anything you wanted to do, what would it be?” Their answer came quickly,” said Sister Barbara. “We want an education.”

“It was then that Bridget and I made the decision to create Adelante Mujeres as a nonprofit organization,” she said. “We had no office, very little grant money and no staff.”

A modest start

Under the leadership of Sister Barbara and Cooke, the organization thrived. For the first five years Adelante Mujeres operated out of Sister Barbara’s home.

The tight confines and late hours were taking a toll on both co-founders. Sister Barbara shared this problem with her community leaders at Marylhurst. The work and accomplishments of Adelante Mujeres coincided with the mission of the sisters — namely, the education of impoverished families.

“Every year we wrote a grant request to the Sisters of the Holy Names,” she said. “The response from the Sisters was that in lieu of a grant they would fund our move to a real office.”

Within days a place was found and within hours of signing the lease the move was complete.

I asked Sister Barbara where she thinks the organization will be at the end of the next 10 years.

“There is nothing we can’t do if we continue to get our message out to the right places,” she said.

While Adelante Mujeres has built a solid following among participants and the local community, the biggest challenge will come in the area of fundraising.

“They will need to continue to reach out to the business community and show how success benefits them directly and indirectly,” she said. “Building stronger families builds stronger communities ... and that is good for everyone.”

Even though she is retired from day-to-day responsibilities with Adelante Mujeres, I couldn’t help but notice the fire in her soft blue eyes and the passion in her voice when she talked about supporting Latinos in Washington County as they recognize opportunities for success and how to achieve them.

Today Adelante Mujeres serves more than 450 families each year and counts on the dedication of 800 community volunteers.

I am sure that as long as Adelante’s work continues to embody Sister Barbara’s passion and vision, the organization is going to enjoy even more success in the years to come.