YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS GROWING

The Journey

Our approach begins with something that cannot be earned or taken away: inherent worth.

From there, participants move through a developmental journey:

 

INHERENT WORTH → IDENTITY → EXPRESSION → SELF EFFICACY → CONFIDENCE & AGENCY → BELONGING → NATURE CONNECTION → STEWARDSHIP → POSSIBILITY → HOPE

​

Participants build evidence of their own capacity through experience:

I grew that.
I cooked that.
I created that.
I learned that.
I helped care for that.
I taught someone that.

​

Small experiences of accomplishment can become powerful evidence of what else may be possible.

The 12-week experience brings together multiple pathways to wellness and discovery.

​

Therapeutic Horticulture & Urban Agriculture

Participants grow, nurture and interact with living things while developing practical skills and exploring their own relationship with nature.

Hands-on urban farm experiences introduce young people to growers, food systems, environmental health, agriculture, entrepreneurship and possibilities within Chicago’s urban agriculture community.

 

Culinary Wellness

Food becomes a pathway to culture, creativity, nourishment and independence.

Participants prepare food, explore ingredients, connect what grows in the soil to what nourishes the body, and develop practical culinary skills they can carry forward.

 

Eco Art & Repurposing: Changing the Narrative

Led by Know Good & Well’s Therapeutic Artist, Keely Coates, participants create with reclaimed and repurposed materials including paper, newspaper, wool, yarn, textiles, glass and other materials.

The guiding question is simple:

What else could this become?

Participants are encouraged to experiment, make choices, express themselves and discover possibility in materials that might otherwise have been overlooked or discarded.

Sometimes changing the narrative of an object gives us space to consider how narratives about ourselves can change too.

 

Reflection, Conversation & Identity

Facilitated circles create space for young people to explore identity, worth, belonging, challenges, aspirations and the experiences shaping their lives.

Participants may speak, listen, reflect, create or simply be present.

There is room to take up space.

 

Movement & Nature Connection

Wellness walks, bike rides and visits to neighborhood green spaces encourage movement, observation, restoration and a deeper understanding of our relationship with the natural world.

Nature belongs to all of us. We are connected to it, and we belong within it.

​

From Self to Stewardship

As participants begin to see themselves differently, we invite them to look outward.

How does where I live affect me?
How do food and environment affect my well-being?
What belongs to me as a member of this community?
What can I help care for?

​

Community Stewardship Days give participants opportunities to work together to care for shared neighborhood spaces and experience themselves as contributors to their communities.

 

The progression is intentional:

I see myself.
I recognize that I belong.
I see what surrounds me.
I understand that my environment affects me.
I discover that I can affect my environment too.

​

Growing Together

Wellness does not happen in isolation.

Participants will have opportunities to invite parents, caregivers, siblings, grandparents, chosen family and other important people into selected experiences.

Family engagement allows young people to become teachers, hosts, creators and contributors, sharing what they have learned with the people they love.

​

Growing Across Generations

Young people also need opportunities to see that a future is possible.

Participants connect with community elders who model healthy aging, growing food, creativity, wellness, entrepreneurship, leadership and purposeful living.

​

In communities where premature mortality can shape how young people imagine adulthood, seeing someone growing older and growing well can be powerful.

​

Sometimes hope needs a face.

​

The exchange goes both ways. Elders bring knowledge, culture and lived experience. Young people bring creativity, energy, knowledge and perspectives of their own.

​

Growing Forward

The program does not end with the final session.

Participants meet farmers, artists, wellness practitioners, entrepreneurs, mental health professionals and other community leaders who can expose them to possibilities they may not have encountered before.

​

Young people are connected to opportunities for continued learning, mentorship, certifications, urban agriculture, creative programs, volunteering, wellness, education and entrepreneurship.

​

Participants completing the program earn the:

Growing Forward Certificate in Identity, Nature & Cultural Wellness

The certificate recognizes engagement and learning across identity, creative expression, self efficacy, horticulture and food, environmental literacy, nature connection, community stewardship and pathways forward.

 

What We Want Young People to Carry With Them

We want every participant to leave with:

Something they grew.
Something they made.
Something they learned.
Someone new they connected with.
Somewhere new they discovered.
And something new they believe about themselves.

​

Ultimately, the journey becomes:

I see myself.
I see what I can do.
I see where I belong.
I see what I am connected to.
I see possibilities.
I can see myself in a future.

​

You are worthy.

You are valuable.

You are loved.

 

Growing Through What You’re Going Through™
A Know Good & Well Flagship Program

 

Interested in bringing Growing Through What You’re Going Through™ to your organization or community?