The Earth Stewards program began in 2004 as a partnership between
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and The Garden Project.
Taking the lessons from the successful Garden Project program for
former offenders, the Earth Stewards program is for at-risk young
adults, ages 17-25. It is an intensive 38-week training program for
minority adults that allows participants to earn a wage, continue
their education, build life skills, and contribute to the community
through environmental projects. After completing the program,
participants enter the Trade Apprenticeship Program sponsored by the
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
The Earth Stewards Program
In a safe, structured environment tailored to the needs of each
participant, Earth Stewards is designed to address the multi-faceted
needs of this specific population. Earth Stewards programming
comprises two components: job training and life skills development.
Through community service projects -- which experts identify as an
important component to developing skills, building self-confidence,
and fostering a sense of compassion -- Earth Stewards participants
give back to their communities every day.
Job Training
Stewards learn basic horticulture and landscaping through farm and
site specific projects. Farm projects include the maintenance of The
Garden Project’s Organic California Native Plant Nursery and the
Perennial Ornamental Nursery. Working with Garden Project staff, City
biologists and gardeners, field work includes clearing debris, basic
landscaping, cultivating specific plants for various sites, and
planting projects. Through each project, participants learn about the
environment and leave a tangible mark in the community.
Life Skills
Drawing on effective models used by the National Institute of
Corrections, the U.S. Department of Justice, and mental health
programs for at-risk youth, the goal of the life skills component of
the Earth Stewards program is to guide participants through a series
of problem solving/critical thinking lessons that promote and enforce
these skills. The curriculum seeks to foster self-knowledge as the
foundation for the restoration and maintenance of a positive sense of
identity and the construction of healthy relationships and actions.
The first part of the programming concentrates on exploring these
situations through reading, writing, and problem solving/math in a
classroom setting. As Earth Stewards study these subjects, they learn
to understand why they had trouble in these areas in the past and to
find alternative ways to approach these problems. The second part of
the program focuses on developing skills in coping with and
approaching these situations beyond the classroom. Participants
progress through a series of lessons including Critical Thinking,
Active Listening, Preparing for a Stressful Conversation, and
Responding to Anger.
Earth Stewards offers participants and society a real alternative –
bringing more underrepresented groups into higher education, improving
the economic outcomes of poor communities, revitalizing the City
through public works projects, and ultimately saving on the costs of
policing and incarceration. The work of Earth Stewards provides a
stunning model for what city agencies and community organizations can
do by pooling resources and needs to affect real change.
