Antfarm Inc

Antfarms workforce development program combines youthcore, community connect, farmers market, and planet 365 programs and expanded. The program provides work in partnership with local community members, public lands, and agencies while teaching youth valuable work skills. Antfarm works will all youth, yet many are challenged with and often demonstrate low academic performance, behavioral difficulties, mental health challenges, and additiction. We engage all youth in learning objectives that not only address the basic work readiness skills, but also address life and social skills needs. Youth engaged in antfarms workforce development program learn five basic work readiness skills in addition to the specific skills required to do the work. In addition, valuable life skills and social skills learning and support are built into the daily routines youth are given tasks and responsibilities as a part of the team that creates an understanding of positive relationships, the ability to support each other, and the ability to work together as a team. Our youth have minimal opportunities too, so it has been amazing to witness the pride in our local youth when engaged in antfarms workforce development as they work on local projects. Youth who never ventured into the local natural landscape are now regularly engaged. We have also seen a strong sense of civic engagement and community pride. Partnerships include working with mount hood national forest, bureau of land management, recreational trail projects, vocational rehabilitation, youth transition projects, and many community members. Antfarm employs youth and adults, providing many of the youth first time job experiences. The program (formerly community connect) also provides free services to the community, mainly elderly, by youth workers and volunteers working with adult volunteers. The youth get the opportunity to learn trade skills and how to be part of a professional team, while also learning about the benefits of giving back to the community. The volunteer teams involved in the program do things like clearing sticker bushes from property and other landscape maintenance services, repairing damanged property, painting, etc for those who would otherwise go without these services. This program sees a large number of volunteer hours each year. The 2430 volunteer hours given to this program in is humbling.

Antfarm cafe and bakery is a youth and family community center that supports youth development, healthy eating and sustainability. The cafe and bakery is the program that closes the loop between all of antfarms other programs. We use produce from the learning garden proram, teaching youth about sustainability and the farm to table concepts of healthy eating. The cafe and bakery employs youth and trains teens teaching them core skills that have allowed them to be successful in employment in the industry with other businesses. The cafe space includes the axis learning center which is a study and computer lab with state of the art technology, where students with adult mentors and tutors accomplish education and vocational goals. It also includes the cultural arts center which offers the community a space to have meetings and participate in school and community art, poetry, music, and photography projects. Since the opening of the cafe and bakery, this space has become popular for community meetings and a wonderful venue for community functions. Community support for the antfarm mission through this program includes 56 volunteer hours assisting with direct kitchen services.

The youth and family program at antfarm includes alcohol and drug prevention, youth demonstration projects with homeless youth, and other youth services. Youth and family services provide powerful supports and interventions during the year. The learning garden is part of the youth and family services program as is the cultural arts program. The youth hub opened spaces in the communities of sandy, estacada and molalla in 2024 where youth of all ages can come to recieve support. Many types of supports are offered including school tutoring, fun and leisure activities, art and cultural projects, life skills and job skills training, and individual problem solving support. These programs also provide opportunities for youth and families to be involved in community activites and programs. The learning garden is a vibrant garden utilized by the local community for youth learning and support of local food sourcing. Garden activities include learning about planting, growing, weeding, harvesting, and processing fresh vegetables. A

The mount hood farmers market is a welcoming, interactive community event offering space for up to 60 local farmers, artisans, and food vendors each week from may through october. Several of antfarm youth and family programs join the market regularly, including the garden that sells plant starts and fresh fruits and vegetables while educating the public about growing their own food. Nuevo futuro joins the market to provide resources and support to the latinix community. Our markets very popular youth program teaches the power of produce by providing weekly hands-on learning activities about fresh fruits and vegetables while also supporting our farm vendors by providing youth with tokens to spend at their booths. The market also accepts snap and wic food benefits and participates in the oregon double up food bucks program. The mount hood farmers market is an important local resource for providing education, healthy lifestyles, and community connection.

Antfarms emergency operations program includes arpa basic needs program services, and other various support for individuals displaced or facing financial deteriroation due to the covid 19 pandemic and other factors. This program is very important to our local communities and to clackamas county. The team works consistently helping people affected by covid 19 and other factors. 2024 is the final year for this program as the services previously provided through this program have shifted to the housing services program.

The vision of antfarm came through a community known as redwind which follows an earth-based way of life focused on health of individuals, communities, and the earth. Founded in 1997 from the teachings of frank fools crow, the redwind community listened to his word, survival of the world depends on our sharing what we have and working together. Although the redwind community humbly practiced a native american lakota spiritual tradition, they chose to become involved in the many issues facing the people of the earth. In 1999 the community took a nonprofit organization status to build stronger alliances with others and develop greater ways of helping. This decision continued to focus the redwind community in providing traditional teachings at the teachings encourage helping the next generation to become good people.