Community

Urban Farm in East Oakland Teaches Youth Healthy Living, Strengthens Community Ties

Located at 1001 83rd Ave., it is a beautiful, positive space and experience for so many families in this area who are oftentimes cut off from nature and too fearful to allow their children to play outside.

Published

3 years ago

June 19, 2021

Christy Price

Acta Non Verba students stand by their harvest at the farm in East Oakland. Acta Non Verba Facebook photo.

Hidden within a dirty, violent, densely populated urban food desert stands an oasis for the fearful parents and bored youth of East Oakland.

Alarmed by Oakland’s high school dropout rate and FBI ranking as the 6^th most dangerous city in the U.S, Oakland mother and Navy veteran Kelly Carlisle decided to expand her urban farming from her balcony to a bigger plot of land. There she could fulfill her desire to teach children, youth and even adults about farming, food and nutrition using her skills as a Master Gardener. The added benefit would be a community whose ties became stronger.

Carlisle was connected to Tassafaronga Recreation Center in East Oakland whose leadership wanted to create a farm on the land behind the center and so Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project (ANV) was born.

Families from the surrounding neighborhoods and greater community can benefit from a myriad of programs that the organization offers such as childcare, camping, instruction on farming, cooking and nutrition.

The mission of (ANV) cannot be better summarized than by the people who have dedicated their lives to this cause, and according to their website, it is:

“Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project (ANV) elevates life in Oakland and beyond by challenging oppressive dynamics and environments through urban farming. Founded and led mainly by women of color from the surrounding neighborhood and larger community, ANV creates a safe and creative outdoor space for children, youth, and families in East Oakland, CA. ANV engages and strengthens young people’s understanding of nutrition, food production, and healthy living as well as strengthens their ties to the community.”

This program begins with the youth at the planning stage, plotting the land, planting the seeds, cultivating the produce, and ends with the youth marketing it to customers and making the sales. The children get to experience every part of the process of farm-to-table nutrition, teaching them valuable skills and lessons that will help them as they grow into adulthood.

Over the years ANV has taught hundreds of children these life skills which help make community ties with the help of sponsors, donors and volunteers. Visit the ANV website if you are interested in signing your children up for camp, childcare or any of the other programs offered.

If you are looking for a worthy organization to offer your time and/or money, please consider an investment in our urban youth through Acta Non Verba.

Christy Price

Posts by Christy Price

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

Oakland Post

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.