ACTA NON VERBA

Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project

Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project (ANV) elevates life in the inner-city by challenging oppressive dynamics and environments through urban farming. Founded and led mainly by women of color from the surrounding neighborhood and larger community, ANV creates a safe and creative outdoor space for children, youth, and families in East Oakland, CA. Within this severely economically depressed neighborhood in the nation’s second most dangerous city, ANV engages and deepens their understanding of nutrition, food production, and healthy living as well as strengthens their ties to the community. ANV’s neighborhood is a USDA-defined ‘Food Desert’, with only 2 grocery stores within 3 miles providing limited fresh produce.

The ShineMaker Foundation has supported Acta Non Verba’s youth-run CSA summer camp program. Youth plan, plant, and harvest culturally-relevant food on the farm, stewarding local green spaces and gaining vocational skills as they market and sell produce at our Farmstand. All profits are then deposited into participating youths’ educational savings accounts.