Growing Power: Training Programs

Training Programs

Together we are....

GROWING POWER

Milwaukee, Chicago, .... Or Your Own Community

Growing Power’s training programs are offered at several levels, spanning from a brief 2-hour introduction through to a multi-year apprenticeship program. Advanced training is done on site, where the student's project is deployed within the community. Growing Power has successfully accomplished this type of training and close collaboration in over 12 different states. In order to provide training and active demonstration, Growing Power has developed Community Food Centers where people can see a Community Food System in action and learn sustainable practices to grow, process, market and distribute food. Types of training programs we support, include the following:
Educational tours: Growing Power provides guided, educational tours through the Milwaukee-based Community Food Center. Displays and demonstrations of ongoing food science projects are presented every few steps along the tour. Tours are offered in 2-hour or half-day increments. In the past 6 months, over 1,000 people have visited the facility in approximately 75 separate public tours. All demographics and ages have been represented on these tours.
	Multi-day workshops: These are intensive multi-day workshops that bring together youth and adults from across the nation to learn how to develop community based gardens and food systems. In the past six months, over 300 people have attended these workshops, facilitating over 50 community-based projects. Workshops include materials and lessons for hands-on training in such diverse topics as aquaculture, soil reclamation, and food processing.
Collaborative entrepreneurial projects: Growing Power refers to this as Living Skills Projects. It is the next step beyond a workshop or educational tour. It is more than training. It is an actual project. Growing Power is kept on retainer and provides guidance to the respective community group. Growing Power currently supports approximately 10 groups. See our outreach programs for specific examples.
	Multi-year Apprenticeship Program: An entrepreneurial youth development program offering youth from low-income backgrounds both academic and professional experience. There are currently 12 youths in this program, which is also known as Growing Power's Youth Corps.