YOUTHCAN

The UCAN Youth Community Garden, YouthCan, is dedicated to instilling hands-on experiences and opportunities to learn and understand agriculture, economics, and the compassion of providing for your community.

Youth Advisory Council

The Urban Community AgriNomics Youth Advisory Council is an opportunity for students aged 12-18 to cultivate leadership skills on the land, and contribute to the growth of the farm through onsite projects and dynamic programming.

This year we’re taking a whole systems approach to stewardship with a ReImagine Ag regenerative growing project, supporting our wildlife partners with a CrossPollinators project, digging into the economics of agriculture by planning a Market Showcase, and setting roots in the social change ecosystem through Y2Y (Youth to Youth) Advocacy Campaign!

Although each of these projects is unique, they’re all interconnected and mutually supportive.

  • ReImagine Ag focuses on learning, applying, and documenting regenerative agricultural methods to the cultivation of a crop (or crops) in our Big Field. Students will co-design a planting plan that begins with organic soil preparation, incorporates functional companion plants, and chemical free crop maintenance. This year, the focus will be heirloom pumpkins, popcorn, and bush beans!

  • CrossPollinators is all about supporting our non-human helpers on the farm! From intentional flower integration in the field, to foraged and constructed habitat for native bees and bats around the youth garden, YAC members will learn about the critters and creatures that assist, and protect our precious crops. We’ll encourage the presence of more pollinators by building a native bee hotel ‘landscaped’ with perennials, and bat houses for the surrounding woods.

  • The Market Showcase is a culminating event for the 2026 cohort that features the produce they cared for, as well as an exhibit of documented plans, drawings, photos, and social media reels from their season! They will work with farm staff, and select board members to plan the logistics, marketing, and management of a Pumpkin Patch Kick-off on Saturday, October 10th.

  • Finally, Y2Y (Youth to Youth) Advocacy is a continuous peer to peer advocacy campaign where the messaging and delivery are directed by our Council members. This is more than making reels for social media. We’ll practice our public speaking skills, how to craft PSA’s, Calls to Action, and ways to tap into their natural interests, talents and skills to create positive change for the causes they care about.

The Youth Advisory Council is officially underway for the 2026 season (June–October), but it's not too late to get involved! We welcome new members throughout the season and encourage youth who are passionate about leadership, agriculture, community engagement, and making a difference to join us.

Your voice and ideas matter, and there are plenty of opportunities to contribute, learn, and get your hands involved. Complete the form below, and Erica, UCAN's Youth Coordinator, will be in touch soon with next steps.

Duke Men’s Basketball & YouthCan!

The work performed by the Duke Men’s Basketball Team in 2022 for the YouthCan Community Garden helped us tremendously! They completed the building of every single raised garden bed and our compost bins. Their hard work and leadership skills were shown. The Duke Men’s Basketball Team and Coaches had a positive impact on the youth volunteers and provided memories they’ll never forget!

Our YouthCan project of building raised beds for the YouthCan high tunnel was recently completed, thanks to an amazing group of youth volunteers! They were so excited to get hands-on, and we had incredible adults on-site to safely guide them through constructing the raised beds. Be on the lookout for more YouthCan opportunities in the future!

(And don't worry – the little one with the drill was safe, as the drill didn’t have a battery or bit in it 😉)

Previous Projects

For Summer 2025, UCAN’s Youth Crew made a huge impact at the Catawba Trail Farm! From trail building and conservation work to preparing spaces for future agricultural development, these dedicated young leaders poured their energy into projects that will benefit the community for years to come.

We are deeply grateful to each member of the crew for their hard work, commitment, and enthusiasm. Thank you for helping us steward the land, grow opportunities, and build a stronger community together!

For Earth Day 2026, 7th graders from Durham Academy joined us at Catawba Trail Farm and brought their creativity to life - painting and adding their artistic touch to our planters! A beautiful way to celebrate the planet while introducing youth to STEAM through hands-on learning, creativity, and community.

Students from North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics got hands on in the Youth Garden - planting potatoes and asparagus, as well as butterfly bushes in and around the space.

Their efforts are helping us grow not only fresh food, but also a vibrant and welcoming environment for youth and pollinators alike.

We were excited to welcome students from Durham Academy to the Catawba Trail Farm as part of their week-long Capstone project, From Farm to Table to Community. 

Led by UCAN's Youth Program Coordinator, Erica Neal, students participated in a Food Heritage Workshop and explored topics related to food systems, food justice, and the connections between food, land, and community.