Empowering teens through food justice: An exploration of youth development programs

Youth food justice programs hire teenagers to engage in food justice projects in their neighbor­hoods. These community-oriented programs encourage youth to discover and develop their natural strengths by farming, taking advantage of leadership opportunities, and working on relation­ship-building. This exploratory research compares the development outcomes of five youth food justice programs in the Northeastern U.S. through data collected from interviews with youth and adult staff. Four main themes emerged: food justice, community building, providing a safe space, and personal development. Results suggest that pro­gram participation supported youth feeling greater connection to their food system, their communi­ties, and themselves. Participants reported gains in systems thinking, a deeper sense of community, positive relationships with adult mentors and peers, and feelings of self-efficacy. Youth food justice programs are crucial tools for building resilient food systems, community well-being, and youth empowerment.