Brattleboro—University of Vermont (UVM) Extension 4-H recently launched a new program for special education students at Brattleboro Union High School (BUHS), which combines food systems, leadership and hands-on learning. 

The four-year program, conducted in partnership with the Windham Southeast Supervisory District Special Education Department, is funded through a $6.5 million grant awarded to University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. As a subrecipient, UVM Extension received $1.6 million, which will fund program development, staffing, materials, cultural interpretation and other needs in Brattleboro and at a second site in Burlington that has partnered with the Association of Africans Living in Vermont for five years to prepare young people for careers in agriculture and food sciences. 

Michelle Bos-Lun, a UVM Extension 4-H special projects educator based in Brattleboro, works closely with 25 students in the BUHS Student Educational Assistance (SEA) program and their teachers, paraprofessionals and Bianca Fernandez, a social worker and the primary partner with the school’s program.

“The program is one of five projects in northern New England funded by the USDA grant, Youth Innovators Empowering Agriculture across America (YEA),” Bos-Lun explains. “The project will improve access to 4-H experiential learning opportunities that help kids find their ‘spark’ as well as will conduct research with communities and families to reduce barriers to participation.” 

On Mondays, she visits the SEA classroom to provide a culinary lesson where participants learn how to prep, cook and preserve local foods. In September, peppers were the Vermont Harvest of the Month item, so the students experimented with peppers in various forms. They made and/or tasted salsa verde, traditional salsa, pickled peppers and hot pepper jelly. 

The group explores jobs and careers in food systems including agriculture, cooking and small business, among other fields, on Thursdays. Lauren MacArthur, owner of Whetstone Ledges Farm, a small farm and farm stand in Marlboro, was their first speaker.

“One Friday a month, the students participate in an educational field trip to a local farm or food business,” Bos-Lun says. “They recently harvested apples at Cortland Hill Orchard and visited Lilac Ridge farm, which are both in West Brattleboro. In October, they will glean fall produce at Harlow Farm in Westminster, one of Vermont’s oldest and largest organic vegetable farms, to donate to the Vermont Foodbank.” 

In coming months, Christopher Denette, a Williamsville forager and mushroom expert, and local food entrepreneur Kate Barry of Mocha Joe’s Café in Brattleboro are scheduled to meet with the students.

To learn more about YEA projects across the country, visit https://www.youth-ed-network.org. If questions or interested in providing a culinary or career exploration experience for the SEA program, contact Michelle Bos-Lun at michelle.bos-lun@uvm.edu.