Now Recruiting Board Members
Announcement:
Project Hope Spokane (d.b.a. River City Youth Ops) Board seeks new Board Members
SUBMISSIONS accepted Through:
Sunday, November 19th, 2023.
Application Process:
Interested parties can submit their application using the application form on our Join Our Board page.
About:
Project Hope Spokane has been operating since before 2008 when we became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Now we are known as River City Youth Ops where we work with youth in the West Central neighborhood, growing and sharing food in the summer months, as we transition to a year-round and stable organization, we seek to grow our board of directors to nine volunteers.
At River City Youth Ops, this year, we’re celebrating our 15th anniversary. In those 15 years, we have had different names, locations, and visions but one thing has been consistent: cultivating opportunities for youth leadership development in West Central Spokane through food and education.
As a volunteer-run organization for many years, River City Youth Ops recently grew to two full-time staff and connected with Spo-kanay Enterprises’ Maria Griffin to facilitate board development.
River City Youth Ops’ Board provides strategic direction, fiduciary oversight, and governance to the organization and complements an exceptional staff of two and many committed volunteers. Service on the Board of Directors involves thoughtful decision-making, community connections, and fundraising, and the satisfaction of serving the neighborhood and youth through engaging food and farming programs.
Qualifications:
The below skills and attributes are preferred:
Interest in or more of the following areas: youth development; food access and security; food systems; farming, ranching, or gardening; health equity; community engagement; and food sovereignty;
Resident of West Central Spokane, or do due-diligence to understand the history of this neighborhood and resources;
Understand issues in diverse communities, including the ways in which many people live at the intersection of multiple identities;
Have leadership and/or extensive professional experience;
Ability to generate support for River City Youth Ops’ mission and its activities, this includes but is not limited to fundraising, sponsorship, community input, community impact, and connections to artists, and/or grassroots community organizers/organizations; and
Knowledge of the non-profit sector, the funding sectors (including the philanthropic and/or the education sectors), asset-based community development.
Time Commitment:
Board members attend monthly board meetings, with in-person and virtual meeting options. Board service may equate to approximately 5 to 10 hours per month. This is a volunteer position; funding is available for travel expenses and continuing education. Board members participate in an annual strategic retreat for organizational accountability. Additional board service and engagement outside of monthly meetings may be requested to support special initiatives and projects, including but not limited to financial audits, committee items, and events.
Next Steps for interested candidates:
If serving this organization appeals to you and you have questions, please reach out to Stephanie (Stevie) Watson, Director at stephanie.watson@youthops.org or 509-990-3010 to learn more.
If you’re ready to submit your application, please visit our Join Our Board page to apply through Sunday, November 19th, 2023.
We are eager to talk to interested candidates and we look forward to hearing from you!
Join us for Garlic Planting!
Fall is here and that means it’s time to prepare our field for winter. Join us on Saturday, October 14 for our annual garlic planting activity!
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
Time: 10 am - 12:30 pm
Location: 1832 W. Dean Avenue
During our time together, we will:
Plant garlic for next year
Sow winter rye seeds for our cover crop
Connect with community members who care about our mission
This will be our first year using a cover crop in our primary field. Over the summer, our youth team enjoyed learning about how cover crops support soil health and suppress weeds in the spring. In 2024, we’ll turn this into green manure to add nitrogen back into the soil.
Food, beverage, and good conversation are included in this free event, which is open to all ages. We will enjoy squash soup, made from winter squash we used as decorations at our Harvest Dinner. Roasted kale stalks will be on the menu for a tasty treat. These are edible and similar to broccoli stalks. Apple cider and tea will also be available.
We believe in the community-building powers of growing and sharing food together. This event is an opportunity to support our mission, connect with other youth and adults in our network, and celebrate fall. We hope to see you there!
Big Ups to Summer & On to Fall!
Youth Ops teammates share produce at the Emerson-Garfield Farmers Market.
Our summer sessions in review:
Youth Ops hosted youth leaders this summer who built community, cared for our urban farm, and shared food with each other. We had some beautiful harvests this season thanks to our youth team and volunteers! Some of our favorite new activities this summer include:
100% youth-made meals: Youth prepared breakfast and lunch for their teammates every day in a first for our program!
Big Ups: Youth participated in a weekly gratitude practice called Big Ups to recognize and thank peers for their contributions to the team.
Specialty teams: We implemented 4 new teams this summer to create youth leadership and collaboration opportunities in different areas of our program. We saw tremendous growth as our team leaned into their unique leadership styles!
Indigo Pathway: Youth completed this free career pathway assessment to learn more about careers that could be a good fit for their natural strengths. To review results or retake, visit: https://www.indigopathway.com/.
Our youth team shared some big dreams for our farm and we look forward to leveraging our resources to make them a reality!
Youth Steering Committee
Centering youth voice in our organization
Youth dot voting results for ideas on growing our urban farm.
This fall, we will start our Youth Steering Committee. This is an opportunity for past participants to guide the future direction of our programs.
All former Youth Ops participants are invited to join us for our first meeting on:
Date: Friday, September 29, 2023
Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Place: 1832 W. Dean Avenue, Spokane, WA 99201
Goal: Reconnect with Youth Ops alumni, eat, and choose where we go next!
Volunteerism at Youth Ops
Photo credit: Maya Johnson
We are so grateful for all of our committed volunteers this summer who helped make field trips, farm management, and markets possible! Thank you, also, to our four-legged volunteer (pictured above) who has been grazing the Gardner Avenue lot. Rest assured, this little piggy did not come to market with us!
Community engagement with Our Place
De-Stigmatizing food access in West Central
Thursdays are a special day during our summer program. A small group of youth walks to Our Place Community Outreach Center to support their no-barrier food, clothing, and hygiene bank. Our Place’s commitment to de-stigmatizing community resources builds compassion and community awareness in our team. Youth experience walking through the food line without stigma to support their own nutritional needs before paying it forward to our neighbors. In the afternoon, they share their experience with the whole team (see photo above). Thank you, Our Place, for your partnership!
Our Place Distribution Times:
Wednesdays: 4-6 pm
Thursdays: 10 am - 12:30 pm
Coming up…Harvest Dinner 2023!
Join us in celebrating 15 years of River City Youth Ops on Saturday, September 23! Get your tickets today at https://givebutter.com/HarvestDinner.