City Blossoms is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that cultivates the well-being of our communities through creative kid-driven gardens. Since 2008, City Blossoms has designed, developed, collaborated on, and provided programming or trainings for 100+ projects throughout Washington, DC and nationwide. Our work primarily serves children and youth from Black, Latino, and immigrant communities, ages 2-19.
Applying our unique brand of gardens, science, art, healthy living, and community building, we "blossom" in neighborhoods where kids, their families, and neighbors may not otherwise have access to green space and active gardens. City Blossoms' six age-specific programs create a pathway where toddlers make their first connections to nature, children grow as stewards of their environment, and young people bloom as leaders. City Blossoms' six core programs include the following:
Early Growers. The Early Growers program uses our bilingual early childhood curriculum, Our First Harvest/Nuestra Primera Cosecha, to work with children ages two to five. We partner with educators and early childhood centers to design age-appropriate gardens and programming to help participants make their first connections to nature and food.
Youth Entrepreneurship Cooperative (YEC). Our YEC program partners with high schools to manage a year-round, garden-based, youth entrepreneurship program. At the core of the program is a youth-led business called Mighty Greens through which participants combine elements of environmental and food justice with microenterprise and job-readiness skills development.
Community Green Spaces (CGS). CGS are gardens that are interactive, communal, and children-focused and transform unused or underused land into green spaces where youth and adults can interact with their natural environment and explore their creativity. Participants learn about ecology, urban agriculture, nutritious food, water conservation, and composting techniques, and participate in the creation of public art.
Resources and Trainings. We support educators and community members by providing trainings with a lens of cultural connectivity and skills development. We also produce sharable resources such as our bilingual cookbook, Garden Gastronomy/Gastronomía del Jardín.
Fellowships. We support early career individuals with part-time employment at City Blossoms for eight months. Fellows work side-by-side with our programming team, engage in robust professional development, and receive hands-on experience in our field of garden-based education and youth-focused community work.
Check out our Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter pages and our website to learn more about the fantastic, functional, community-building gardens we grow and how you can be a supporter today!