Community Education creates community-based educational and knowledge sharing spaces where participants learn about connections between food, people, public health, and the environment that are culturally appropriate for the communities of the Paso del Norte Region in Dona Ana County, NM and El Paso, TX. We serve participants ranging in age 5-55+ years old through a variety of cooking, nutrition, and agriculture programs that celebrate the food traditions and knowledge of elders and ancestors.
Raíces inspires youth and young adults to take action on the health and wellbeing of their communities through food justice! Each year, we engage more than 40 youth in agriculture and educational programming at La Semilla Community Farm and community partner sites through multiple sessions. Raíces is a ‘food systems primer’ offering youth hands-on experience in the nuts-and-bolts of agriculture, cooking, and nutrition education, ancestral wellness, community engagement and policy advocacy, and leadership development. Youth have the opportunity to learn from area experts, participate in field trips, and reclaim a strong positive relationship with local foodways, environment, and communities.
La Cosecha partners with local organizations, community groups, and institutions who want to inspire adult participants to engage in health-based community gardening and culinary practices. We do this through the creation of engaging hands-on learning spaces that promote local and sustainable food systems, with the goals of increasing access to: (1) fresh fruits and vegetables, (2) technical resources based on heritage foodways, such as sustainable agriculture and health-based culinary education, and (3) vegetable garden and edible landscapes through the creation of community and backyard gardens. To do this, La Cosecha offers three programmatic options that can be mixed and matched that include the Cultiva Institute, an intensive three-day training that prepares community leaders to start and maintain a community garden, Traveling Cooking and Gardening Platicas for community members, and Community Garden Consultation and Design Services.
Cocina Intercambios are community platicas where participants share food stories and recipes that trace the histories behind meaningful dishes. Through these spaces, participants have the opportunity to share food knowledge through conversations focused around health, culture, and the economic and social connections that underpin positive relationships with food. Participants take part in a taco food lab by preparing a special recipe that represents their identity.
