AntFarm

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.

Antfarms housing and homeless services program provides outreach and engagement to individuals and families at risk for homelessness. Basic services include resource development, rental assisatnce, and wrap around counseling support.

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.

Antfarm care 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 great deal of food is given to seniors and families in need. In 2023 antfarms outdoor adventure program was moved into the youth and families program. Outdoor adventure provides an opportunity for youth to connect to the wilderness through outdoor experiences. Antfarm leads trips of youth hiking, showshoeing, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing. We have overnight camping trips and have climbed mountains! We take youth and families into the mount hood nantional forest twice a month. The youth and family program is a large generator of volunteer hours each year, coming in at 2218 hours in 2023!

The mount hood farmers market offers vendor space for over 25 local farmers and artists as well as several youth and family programs. One program that is very popular and important is teaching the power of produce, providing teaching activities about fresh fruits and vegetables to children under the age of 12. The market also provides snap, double up and wic benefits. This has become an important local resource for providing education and health lifestyles.

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.