Youth Involvement and Education

Education and youth involvement have always been important goals of the Tyonek Grown Program. Students at the local school have been engaged in every step of the gardening process from planting and caring for seeds in the school in late winter, transplanting them into the garden in spring, turning in soil amendments, weeding, harvesting, to produce distribution. In addition to school activities throughout the summer, TTCD hires Tyonek youth to tend to the garden.

Youth in Tyonek have unique exposure to the subsistence lifestyle including the activities of salmon fishing, moose hunting, berry picking, and more. However, the availability of fresh healthy produce year round is very limited. With the lack of a grocery store, healthy fresh foods are often replaced by cheaper processed foods that can be shipped in small bush airplanes. The Tyonek Grown Program is bringing back gardening knowledge to Tyonek and producing a healthier community one student at a time.

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