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Youth Harvest Fun, Job Skills at Farmers Market
Summer heat can't melt the excitement Boys Town youth have for their favorite summer job.
Working at the Boys Town Farmers Market selling a wide-range of vegetables - ripe-red tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, peppers and lettuce just to name a few - is an annual favorite, and one seen as a privilege.
"We meet lots of people and see people who support Boys Town," said Sarah, a Boys Town youth who works in the Farmers Market. "We see people who support us."
"I like to cook and bring home vegetables," said Brielle, who uses the skills she learns at the Farmers Market to help make nutritious meals at home.
Though mingling with the public while selling vegetables is the fun part, the children know they must do the dirty work in the gardens to sell to customers.
"Working at the farmers market is a privilege," said Anastazia Bauer, Summer Work Supervisor. "If they do the dirty jobs, it is a privilege to work selling to the public."
Boys Town's Summer Work Program helps youth establish their employability skills - mainly public relations, leadership and independence skills. Youth must work well at on-campus jobs to earn the privilege of working off campus.
Shelby, a Boys Town youth working her first year at the Farmers Market, says summer work helps her learn responsibility and leadership. "You learn to agree and deal with a boss," she said. "You have to be on time and work thoroughly."
"At the beginning of the summer, the kids were very step-by-step," said Bauer. "Now they are more independent, volunteering themselves and creating jobs for themselves without asking.
"It is amazing to see them combine all their skills here at the Farmers Market - they greet people and work independently."
