Youth Workshop, March 2011
We had an impromptu “Youth Workshop” – 6 youths in all, ages 7 to 14, plus 3 interns, 23 -25 year-olds – what a blast! In just a few hours we covered composting, even screening compost to make it fine enough for vegetable planting – but the key here was getting their hands into the compost, especially after they’d seen the really disgusting rotting food that made it. 🙂 One of them wouldn’t touch it. The others, the youngest ones, told this 14-year-old that she should! Since she will be living in a more sustainable place in just a few of months, they told her she would have to do it eventually anyway…she put her hand on it and that was it.
We harvested a banana clump, bringing down the entire plant, our 14 year-old wouldn’t touch the machete but listened to the training anyway. The other kids whacked away, excited. In bringing it down I had explained that they all had to get under the tree to prevent it from falling on someone’s head. Either they all had to run out from under, or all get in under as a team to protect the group. They stepped in. Their immediate reward was one of the sweetest bananas they’d tasted. And although I know they had all tasted one of these island bananas, I knew the sweetness was really in their pride, their sense of confidence and empowerment.
We broke ground to plant 2 medium banana plants, did the routine of putting ourselves in a place of gratitude to make sure our energy was positive and loving, dug the hole where they learned how to use a shovel and pick, added water, compost, planted carefully, watered again, mulched. Everyone took a turn with everything. While giving instruction at some point I noticed our teenager not listening, so I drew my attention to her to pull her back in and noticed her distraction: the Compost – she was running her fingers through it, engaged! I gently brought her back, honoring her opening.
We then went to harvest 2 other banana clumps just discovered, she got there first, took a machete, and started going at the tree with good strong energy! She brought it down entirely herself. Wow! Totally engaged at this point. Later, she made sure the others knew she had gotten in to the compost, AND the worms.
We then went up to our citrus hill, where very young trees are now growing, and each got to plant a baby papaya tree. I realized they had all gotten the necessary instruction while planting the 2 banana trees (which we gave names to of two of the youths deceased grandmothers), and it came to me to do this lesson in silence. I told them they would be shown how to plant these little papayas in silence, so they would have to really focus, learning only with their eyes, and their senses as they asked the trees what they needed. They watched intently. We then handed off tools as each one went one by one, we watched each other, in silence, in support. They then got to name their tree and write it with a black marker on a tall flat stick already in the ground. When all were done, we all gave energy, sending Love, to each others’ trees. The best pictures are the ones with the proud faces writing the name of their tree. Sweeeet.
Their teamwork then extended into the kitchen, and into the evening as this was a sleepover! The next morning, after making some eggs, I noticed that each of them was doing something in the kitchen. I looked around, they were working together, some helping each other. That was my cue to step out…