July 2024 - Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty Program

HOT! and yet in the garden.
by Molly Phemister 25 Jul '24

25 Jul '24

Good morning, Relatives! This weekend will be fairly hot compared to the delights of last weekend. There's food to harvest (tomatoes, okra, peppers, and I saw the first green bean!), a little bit of planting to do (more green beans, for sure), some weeding to do, more bug removal (good BYE squashbugs!) and maaaybe we can get those last tarp pieces out there? But it'll not be a good day for hurrying, so maybe, maybe not. Please wear lighter colors, looser fitting, ideally woven, lightweight fabrics; closed toed shoes; and plan to start the morning by drinking a tall cup of water. Have we not seen you for a bit? We've missed you! Please come back. Some of you are reaching some higher levels of absenteeism and that's going to mess with your fall stipend check. Nobody wants that. I've been in the garden on Monday and Wednesday mornings the past few weeks, some folks have made up time during those hours. Next week, MONDAY MORNING ONLY. I'm out of town Wednesday. Are these mornings not working for you? Look at your August schedule- perhaps there are some evenings that I can come and be there with you? I'm rooting for you, you just have to let me know what you need and we can work something out. Sometimes these side sessions become private tutoring sessions- when it's just me and one or two students, they really get my full attention. Check out the trellis in the Turtle Clan quadrant that Earl and I made when we were able to focus on the work! Another opportunity to make up some time will be August 10- we're scheduled to have a booth at the Discovery Days event, 10-2, on the East Campus Mall. We have openings for a couple of youth to stay late and staff that booth. It'll be a great opportunity to practice interacting with the public and letting them know about our program. This week, I want you to look at the flowers around you. "Wildflower" is a weird concept- for most of history, they were all wildflowers. What I want you to look at are how the flowers are formed. Picture yourself with some pieces of paper or fabric and going to "build" the flower you are looking at- how many pieces would you need? Do any of them need to be folded? What kind of symmetry do the flowers have? We'll take a look at more on Saturday morning and see how they can help us identify plants and decode which other plants are their closest relatives. If you want to read about flowers, the chapter on Asters and Goldenrods is wild. Who knew?! See you Saturday! Molly [https://ucomm.unl.edu/images/email-signature/Nebraska_N_RGB_small_on_white.…] Molly Phemister 3110 North 40th St Lincoln NE, 68506

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Saturday PROBABLY outside
by Molly Phemister 18 Jul '24

18 Jul '24

Hello relatives! It so lovely to have the cooler weather back, so we're hoping to be in the garden on Saturday, HOWEVER the weather predictions have not been stable for the day. A light rain and we're still in the garden. Thunder or lightning, and we will head over to Entomology Hall to meet some of Louise's friends. Please come prepared to garden (weeeed): close toe shoes, long pants, perhaps even a sun hat. Please also come prepared to invest in community building- plan to stay until noon so we can chat about life and the garden and whatever else comes up. With gratitude for this journey we are on together, Molly

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Indoors this week!
by Molly Phemister 11 Jul '24

11 Jul '24

Good morning, my relatives, We will meet Saturday at our Plant Sciences building classroom to beat the heat and focus on Indigenous world views. Please bring your journals and have read / be ready to discuss two passages: 1. Allegiance to Gratitude on page 105. It examines the Indigenous concept of acknowledgement and thanksgiving to the natural world. 2. The Honorable Harvest on page 175 to page 190 (stop there). It examines Indigenous concepts of humility and respect to wamaskanskan ( all living beings). You are important to us! We value seeing you each weekend. Please make every effort to be there from 9 to noon. Wopila, Molly Ps- yes, there will be both Monday and Wednesday morning work opportunities (15th and 17th), 9-11 am, this coming week. As a heads up, Monday the 22nd and Wednesday the 29th, I have conflicts and won't be there. Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>

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Additional hour opportunities
by Molly Phemister 07 Jul '24

07 Jul '24

Hello my relations, There will be a second email later this week with specifics about next Saturday, but in the meantime, we've noticed that some of our youth are struggling to balance work and sports schedules with their garden time, therefore we are adding additional hours so that folks can make up their time if the Saturday group time is not working. Let's start with Monday and Wednesday 9-11, but let me know if neither of those work either, we can be creative together. See you soon, I hope, Molly [https://ucomm.unl.edu/images/email-signature/Nebraska_N_RGB_small_on_white.…] Molly Phemister 3110 North 40th St Lincoln NE, 68506

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YES, July 6 we will meet.
by Molly Phemister 03 Jul '24

03 Jul '24

Good morning, relatives, It's July 3, and I'm writing to you to say we will indeed meet in the garden on July 6. Between now and then comes July 4, which is a complicated mess of a "holiday" for most of the folks reading this email. With that in mind, I re-read chapter 27 in Braiding Sweetgrass, in which Robin tells the history of the Onondaga Confederacy and Onondaga lake. The lake is a true lake and the toxins that must be cleaned from it are true toxins, the work of cleaning it is true and specific to that lake, too, and yet the whole ecological saga unfolds as a part of (and even a metaphor for) the inter-cultural relations that surround that region of what is now New York State. She doesn't pull punches- she tells of exactly how brutal George Washington and other celebrated founders were, how careless and arrogant the later corporations were. But she doesn't leave us hopeless either: there's a path forward in her words, both for the people and for the land. In a future gathering, this is one things we can discuss- what is that path? - but we'll wait for the hot horrors of high summer to wrestle with that more directly. This weekend promises to be beautiful and we have a small patch of land to tend. I have ideas, you might too. Reminders: please plan to stay until noon. The community we build eating lunch together is an important component of this program. Long pants and close toed shoes are encouraged, as are sunblock, bug spray, and even a hat. We WILL be kneeling this weekend- shorts really wont be comfortable. Molly [https://ucomm.unl.edu/images/email-signature/Nebraska_N_RGB_small_on_white.…] Molly Phemister 3110 North 40th St Lincoln NE, 68506

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2024

Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty Program July 2024 ----- 2024 ----- September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024

Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty Program July 2024