Hands-On Sustainability
a youth education program
Tryon Life Community Farm provides youth of all ages with opportunities to connect with the natural world and each other to create a true sense of place and community. Our goal is to encourage young people to develop a lifelong appreciation of the processes that support life, and to offer wisdom on how to steward them sustainably. To do this we offer this space for collaborative learning about social and ecologicalresponsibility.
The Hands-On Sustainability Program offers one-time and multiple visit field trip experiences for youth and students in preschool through college. Our activities include an interactive farm tour and seasonally appropriate hands-on activities and lessons on specific sustainability and ecology themes in these areas: ecological gardening, natural building, restoration and watershed ecology, ecological living skills, and the arts. We also offer service-learning projects.
Facilities:
For further information or to arrange a visit, please contact Matt Gordon, Youth Education Coordinator @ 503.245.3847 or mattg [at] tryonfarm.org
Groups served include Portland area schools, Boys and Girls Aid Society of Oregon, Girl Scouts, Portland Impact, Head Start, YMCA, Pacific Crest Community School, Waldorf schools, International School, charter schools, Lewis and Clark College PSU, PCC, and homeschool groups. Click here www.tryonfarm.org/share/calendar for our calendar to see who's visiting us!
"The education programs [at Tryon Life Community Farm] provide invaluable opportunities for a broad array of youth and adults to get hands-on learning...these are experiences that can help our youth create positive futures."
- Portland Mayor Tom Potter
Resource Links:
Zenger Farm - located in SE Portland in the Lents neighborhood
Do you have a passion for working with kids in an outdoor setting? Are you excited to learn about sustainability while passing on your knowledge to the next generation? Then get involved in our Hands-On Sustainability youth education program by becoming a 'Volunteer Educator.'
Volunteer Educator Position Description(possible internship or independent study credit):
Our Hands-on Sustainability Program engages youth ages preschool through college in an interactive farm tour and hands-on activities and lessons on specific sustainability and ecology themes (gardening, natural building, forest ecology, restoration, etc.). There are opportunities for volunteers to develop ongoing relationships with groups that visit regularly.
edu (at) tryonfarm.org
503.245.3847
Other local educational farms:
Sauvie Island Center - located north of
Organic Education Center at Luscher Farm - located outside Volunteer Educators
Volunteer Educators will lead youth field trip activities at Tryon Life Community Farm using activities from TLC Farm's curriculum and their own creativity. Training for each volunteer educator includes a training session, observing / co-teaching two classes before being the primary teacher for visiting students. Each volunteer educator will then lead at least one field trip per month for at least 3 months. Field trips are usually scheduled 9am and 5pm on Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information, please contact the Education Coordinator Matt Gordon: