For ten young people from Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury, the summer of 2025 was a time when words like urban agriculture and food justice turned into reality with their participation in the Urban Farming Institute’s (UFI) six-week-long Garden Bugs program.
From July 7 to August 15, the small cohort worked the land and did other chores at the 30,000-square-foot Fowler Clark Epstein Farm at the corner of Hosmer and Norfolk streets in Mattapan under the leadership of UFI Education Coordinator Tu Phan and Community Education liaison Itzel Herrera Garcia.
“This year, we were able to hire ten [interns] from Mattapan, Roxbury, and Dorchester. The ages ranged from 14 to 21,” said Phan, who noted that the group learned “a lot about urban agriculture, food justice, and the history of agriculture and how it has impacted many different communities of color.” He added that the team went on many field trips, and ran the farm stand on Fridays.
Although their days on the farm began at 9 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m., the impact of the workweek on the young farmers couldn’t just be measured by a time card, given 16-year-old David Searcy’s crediting of , his UFI experience for helping him to heal from his past, enjoy the present, and see a real future for himself.
“Before the summer, I was actually in group homes, I was in different states. I had a lot of anger problems, and a lot of street issues,” Searcy told The Reporter. “My therapist knew that when I did come out from where I was at, I was going to need a job. We did a lot of searching, and I happened to meet the requirements at UFI on such short notice.”
He added, “I did the interview with Tu, and he was very accepting. I told him about my background and where I was coming from, and not to walk on eggshells around me, that I am better now, and just need a place to work. He took me in, and the rest is history.”
Searcy notes that “this is one of the first summers where I’ve actually felt grounded. I do have a lot of explosive issues, and this summer I felt safe. We’re in the middle of Dorchester, Mattapan, we’re not in no sugar-coated area. This is one of the places that makes you forget where you are. It makes you feel safe.”
As he and the other interns turned to weeding, mulching, and harvesting every morning, they were, like the plants, growing in their own ways. Searcy’s friend and fellow intern, Rasheen Keiller, had a story to tell about that experience.
“I’ve been involved in farming since I was a young boy, like, eight years old, seven, so I’m pretty familiar with farming. I love it very much,” he said.
“All this is thanks to my mother, Millie. She’s a farmer, she’s been farming since 2016, so I’ve been involved in farming like my whole life, and this summer has taught me a lot about self-improvement and self-growth, and how to work in a group and work accordingly.
“So I’m very appreciative of that. I recommend this program to almost every teenager who wants to learn about farming and just wants to better themselves as a person”.
On the program’s second-last day, UFI hosted Youth Day at the Farm to celebrate Massachusetts Urban Agriculture Week. From the beginning of the day to the end, it was clear that David Searcy had sprouted into quite the leader.
“To be a part of the UFI team is to be strong, to be perservering, and to be grateful,” said Searcy, which qualities stood out as he guided his fellow associates around the farm and reminded them that when he and they became of age, they could join up with the UFI team.
Said Phan: “I think we have a national crisis of not having enough farmers. The average age of farmers has increased, mostly because there are no young farmers, nobody who wants to farm.
“The future of food looks kind of scary if we don’t have farmers. Introducing this kind of work to people at a young age will allow them to just have that seed planted and think about what it means to grow food.”
Pat Spence, the president and CEO Pat UFI, said that young men like Keiller and Searcy exemplify what the organization is all about. “We’re growing not only food; we are growing food and people at the same time.”
Though the summer session is officially over, Spence said that UFI offers programming that the teens can enjoy all year round. David Searcy, for one, hopes to do just that as he begins his junior year in high school. He is also hoping to return for another internship summer next year.
“I feel like this place is a real blessing,” he said. “To others, it may just be that spot on the street, but to me, it’s a home. I would hope and pray that everybody here… can appreciate a place like this because this is an opportunity that not a lot of us have coming from a background of street violence and a lot of negative stuff out there.
“This is a place of acceptance, and your words will always be important here. You’ll always be heard.”
