Roots Rising Summer Farm Plants Seeds of Goodness in The Local Teen Students

Roots Rising’s main focus is its youth work crews, groups of teenagers that form three times a year

Roots Rising: Teens need farms, farms need teens

Pittsfield, Massachusetts

A nonprofit organization that empowers youth and builds community through food and farming, Roots Rising teaches teens the skills that they’ll need to be successful adults. Growing food requires motivation, determination, teamwork, and creativity. More than anything, it requires a strong work ethic. Our Farm Crew works under the sun, they work in the cold, they work in the rain, and they work when they’d rather be done for the day.

They work while laughing, singing while conversing, and reflecting. They work (mostly) without complaint. This is the Roots Rising way. It is the culture that they establish as a Farm Crew- to lean into a hard day’s work, to persevere when the going gets tough, and savor the sweet feeling of achievement after a day spent working on the land.

“We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes and look forward to sharing more about this exciting initiative in the near future,” said Jessica Vecchia, who runs Roots Rising with co-founder and co-director Jamie Samowitz.

Roots Rising in the news!

The main focus is its youth work crews, groups of teenagers that form three times a year and operate in the spring, summer and fall — Pittsfield residents age 14 through 18 are eligible to join — and its operation of the Pittsfield Farmer’s Market, which began in 2013. It was the first farmer’s market in the Berkshires to be operated by teenagers.

“The possibilities for what we can become and accomplish together are infinite,” said Roots Rising’s farm program manager Lauren Piotrowski. “It’s a different way altogether of thinking about community and agriculture.”

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