The Food Project: Youth. Food. Community.

DIRT XII in the SnowThe Academic Year Program (AYP) is the most common next step for youth aged 14 to 17 who have completed our Summer Youth Program. Members of the Academic Year Program, called the D.I.R.T. Crew (Dynamic, Intelligent, Responsible Teenagers), dedicate Saturdays and after-school hours to building raised-bed gardens for families in low-income communities; leading volunteers on our urban and suburban farmland; staffing and speaking at The Food Project’s events and fundraisers; and helping to recruit a new crop of teenagers for the next year’s Summer Youth Program. 

Each D.I.R.T. Crew also designs and executes a long-term, self-directed project aimed to address food access issues in their community. Examples of previous projects include collaborating with the Boston Public Health Commission to research why corner stores in urban areas rarely stock fresh produce and teaming up with youth at a local high school to design and build raised-bed gardens on the campus to facilitate garden and nutrition education initiatives.     

The Academic Year Program focuses on developing leadership and public speaking skills. It also enhances communication skills and deepens agricultural and food systems knowledge in the young people with whom we work.

Frequently Asked Questions 

For more information about the Academic Year Program, please contact ayp@thefoodproject.org.