By Britten Schear, Special to JTNews
“I know these are onions because it says so on the sign,” Rachel Bravmann-Bevens tells me as we walk through the University of Washington’s Urban Horticulture garden, “but for a lot of this stuff, you’d have to ask the kids what it is.”
The kids, as Bravmann-Bevens refers to them, are Seattle’s “at-risk” or “underserved” youth; they might be more commonly recognized by some locals as homeless street kids. Through Seattle Youth Garden Works, an organization run and maintained predominantly by volunteers and donations, these homeless youth get the chance to work — very hard, in fact — in a garden on loan from the UW, and sell what they grow at local markets. On top of receiving a regular paycheck, they can take part in a “share program,” making extra money off the fruits and vegetables that they sell.
Bravmann-Bevens, a volunteer grant-writer for SYGW, notes that although the money is the main incentive drawing kids to the program, a new outlook on life is the true benefit: “For a lot of kids, it’s the first success they’ve ever been exposed to. Instilling pride in people who haven’t been brought up with pride is incredible.”
Five months into her work with SYGW, Bravmann-Bevens admits that her own outlook on life, including what she said was her own waning connection with Judaism, has changed completely.
“As a Jew, I feel like this is my responsibility,” she says. “The whole concept of tikkun olam is what steers my life. When people talk about ‘changing the world,’ this is it.”
Each crew of workers is made up of 10 kids, aged 14 to 22, and their work lasts for three months. During this time, they are given help writing resumes and are given pointers on job interviewing. The most recent crew ended on June 20, which was marked by a graduation from the program. Each member was personally acknowledged for his or her hard work. One recent graduate, Thomas Cooper, is proof that Bravmann-Bevens’ faith in SYGW is not unfounded.
“It’s going to give me a job for the summer,” Cooper modestly remarks, referring to the coveted internship position he has been offered by SYGW. Born in Germany to an American military family, Cooper has spent his life moving between Louisiana, Texas, and Washington, spending a year on the streets of Seattle after falling out of contact with his family. Cooper now has a busy summer ahead of him, as he balances his internship, a part-time job at the Bon Marché, doing work for Youth In Focus, and attending Shoreline Community College, where he plans to start work towards a business management degree. This will all be in addition to his volunteer time spent at Teen Feed, the program that feeds up to 70 homeless youth at some meals.
Cooper’s decision to take on such a heavy workload mirrors his dedication in the garden, which was not always mimicked by his peers.
“People were dropping out left and right,” says Cooper. “It’s hard work.”
Cooper’s nine-person crew consisted of all men, 18-20 years old. They spent four afternoons each week in the garden — so as not to interfere with school hours, for those who attended — and Saturday mornings at the farmer’s market in the University District.
So why do these kids cross Lake Washington each day to put in this time doing dirty, arduous work in the direct sun for minimum wage?
“The share program is an added incentive,” Cooper explains with a grin, “an extra paycheck.” If you work hard enough in the garden, and if you sell loudly enough at the Farmer’s Market, he says, you can double your money.
The garden gives back to the kids as much as they put into it, which explains why a passerby on a weekday afternoon might see a group of tough looking boys pulling weeds around rows of tomatoes and tenderly pruning basil plants.
Crew members must comply with the rules of the program to make any additional money. The dress code insists on appropriate attire for the garden; substance abuse on the job is strictly prohibited and there is to be no swearing while working. While these seem like basic requirements for any job, they make up the first stringent code of conduct to which many of these kids have been exposed.
As project manager Karina Luboff notes, the garden is the first constant thing in their lives.
Funding for SYGW in 2002 came primarily from private foundations, which donated a total of $120,000. Congregations donated $1000, individuals gave $32,000, and $71,000 came from federal grants. The Church Council of Greater Seattle acts as SYGW’s legal and fiscal agents, and they provide office space in the University District.
With the Bush Administration having cut funding to AmeriCorps, which provided SYGW with supervisors, and private charities unable to give as much in this struggling economy, Seattle Youth Garden Works faces bleak financial prospectus in the next year. In addition, Bravmann-Bevens notes the dismal reality that “homelessness has reached its peak of attractiveness” as a worthwhile charity.
One solution comes from the homeless kids themselves: 10 percent of each paycheck must go directly back to charity. No one is free from responsibility to community, Bravmann-Bevens says, and in the long run, “they take pride in helping each other.”
Bravmann-Bevens explains that her own dedication to the program comes from the concept of reparation, which is a central tenet of Judaism. “The homeless issue is not ‘them,’ it’s us.” she says. “I’m really proud of that aspect of my religion.”
Bravmann-Bevens is working to promote an upcoming Cirque du Soleil benefit on Aug. 22, which will give 100 percent of its ticket sales back to SYGW. The show, “Alegria,” is priced at $80 a ticket, and will help to cover SYGW’s budget shortfall. For tickets and information, visit www.sygw.org/cirque.shtml.