Building Audacity

Taste Health provides a paid learning opportunity for young adults ages 16-24 to hydroponically grow and distribute produce as well as other locally sourced produce and products to the most vulnerable households in the Greater Boston area. Said households are led by seniors who are guardians of school aged children, families who have differently abled family members, and families who live in areas with poor accessibility to public transportation. Specifically, food grown is distributed via our Saturday market and a door to door volunteer based delivery system to families in Boston and Lynn, MA. Of our accomplishments, we have launched workforce development pathways in agricultural engineering. Specifically, our Greater Boston programming has resulted in 200 youth being trained in hydroponic engineering, 160,000 lbs of produce being distributed to 2,000 food insecure families, the creation of a STEM focused makerspace, and a 7,000 sq ft hydroponic farm. Within five years, Building Audacity has grown from a $24,000 budget to a $1mil organization and 175 volunteers. Our long term goal is to deepen our STEM focused work by opening a youth run cafe with a hydroponically grown plant based menu. The cafe will employ our youth ages 16-24 and sell hydroponically grown produce.

Jean Charles Academy (JCA), an accessible, private school based in Lynn, operated for three school years following approval from the Lynn School Committee May 2021. Housed within Building Audacity, JCA was designed to meet the needs of students of color by building a racially equitable curriculum and school culture within an inclusive dual language educational program. The school began with 40 students in grades Pre K-7, and at its peak served 90 students in grades PreK-9th. The mission of Jean Charles Academy is to promote biliteracy, bilingualism, and biculturalism for students. The school will prioritize students of color by providing an interdisciplinary and dual language education that will prepare students for the 21st century through an emphasis on holistic learning and critical thinking skills in STEM fields.