Moab Youth Garden Project Mission

The Youth Garden Project cultivates personal growth, self responsibility and community awareness in youth through organic gardening, experiential education programs and community service.

Our programs incorporate the following principles:
1) Encourage academic learning through hands on activities.
2) Develop practical, vocational and life skills.
3) Provide opportunities to serve and interact in our community.
4) Cultivate a safe and nourishing place for youth to interact.
5) Promote ecological awareness and responsibility.

About Us

The Youth Garden Project originally began in Sarah Heffron’s backyard. Initially, one program was offered to the Juvenile Court for youth to work off court-ordered community service hours. In 1997, the Youth Garden Project received an AmeriCorps Grant which increased its ability to serve the community. As the garden expanded, so did the offering of programs. Additional programs that were offered by YGP including high school and middle school classes for science and community service credit, and a High School Apprenticeship Program.

With the addition of the classes and the apprenticeship program, students and garden staff felt the need and desire for the garden to be closer to the schools. In response to this need, students participating in the High School Apprenticeship Program sought out an area on school district property and designed a plot of what they wanted the garden to look like. The school district and community approved of the plans, and Youth Garden staff and community volunteers embarked upon the arduous task of moving the Youth Garden Project to its current location.

Today the Youth Garden Project sits on two acres of land next to Grand County High School. The Garden offers the following programs: High School Science Class, High School Apprenticeship Program, Garden Classroom fieldtrips, Garden Helpers for middle-school students, After-school programs for elementary students, Summer Day Camp, Pluggin’ In (a partnership with the Seventh District Juvenile Court) and Sustainable Agriculture Workshops. YGP partners with Canyon Country Outdoor Education, Canyonlands Field Institute, Moab Teen Center and Grand County Area Mentoring to offer after programming for Grand County youth. Additionally, the Youth Garden Project hosts several community-wide events including: Weeds and Feeds, The Chocolate Lovers' Fling, The Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival, Garden Dinner Date Nights, and a Harvest Celebration. YGP also plans, markets and organizes the Moab Farmer’s Market.

YGP's Community Kitchen is commercially certified and open for rent! Gardeners with tomatoes to can or entrepreneurs with dreams of selling your salsa at the Farmers' Market can now arrange to use the kitchen at a very reasonable rate. This kitchen acts as a community facility with regular cooking classes, rental opportunities for individuals and businesses, and of course YGP youth and community programs.

Community activities such as WabiSabi’s Hands Up Brunches, Multicultural Center fundraising events and Canyonlands Sustainable Solutions workshops and meetings make use of the kitchen facilities.

If you are interested in renting the kitchen facilities, please call us at 259-BEAN (2326) or e-mail us at ygp@citlink.net.

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