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Englewood Teens Will Learn How To Farm and Code This Summer

 Jada Henderson (from l.), Lagina Sanders and Jessica Rice are participants in a new Green Tech Camp.
Jada Henderson (from l.), Lagina Sanders and Jessica Rice are participants in a new Green Tech Camp.
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DNAinfo/Andrea V. Watson

ENGLEWOOD — The experience that Jada Henderson is gaining from a new summer program that introduces computer coding and agriculture is preparing her for life after college, she said.

“I want to continue on with coding, honestly, because it’s just interesting. And then I heard you can be very successful with it,” said the 17-year-old Englewood resident.

She is one of almost 40 high school students who are participating in a new six-week summer job program, the Green Tech Camp. Of that group, 22 students live in the 17th Ward.

Ald. David Moore (17th) worked closely with Green Tech organizer and program director Janella Curtis to get the program up and running. Other support comes from Catholic Charities, Blue 1647, an entrepreneurship and technology innovation center, and Junior Achievement, which teaches young people about financial literacy and how to become entrepreneurs.

Andrea Watson says the kids have enjoyed the program so far:

Also on board is Frankfort-based Gettin There Farm, which offers locally grown produce and meat. Another supporter is the KLEO Foundation, which helps families in underserved communities live healthy and productive lives.

“The exciting thing about this is that it gives students more than just a chance to learn about gardening,” Moore said. “They also get the technology aspect of learning how to code. The goal of the program isn’t to just play in dirt, but to further the kids in life, and help them achieve financial security.”

He said the camp will address two issues that youths in predominantly black communities experience — lack of access to quality food sources and quality technology education.

One Summer Chicago is paying students attending the Maria Kaupas Center, 6727 S. California Ave., to participate. The teens began July 1, and over the course of six weeks they will learn about growing vegetables and computer coding.

Curtis said they will work on raised garden beds in Marquette Park, 6700 S. Kedzie Avenue.

“It’s just so awesome, and I am so thrilled that we were able to put this all together,” she said.

Curtis said that the coding and urban farming experience will overlap in that she wants them to find ways to use technology to address the food desert problem.

Jada said that initially she was hesitant to take on the job because she thought it would be boring, but she has since changed her mind.

"Actually, it’s fun; it’s fun learning about coding,” she said.

Lagina Sanders, 14, also an Englewood resident, said the first week was more difficult than she had expected, but she isn’t going to give up.

“I like taking risks,” she said.

Jessica Rice, 17, will be a junior in the fall and said she’s already thinking about her career. She isn’t quite sure which path she wants to take, but learning coding will benefit her later in life, she said.

“I might take a course of it in college because I want to be a young entrepreneur, so coding might help me in a way to extend that process,” she said.

Another component of the program is learning how to budget and save. At their first meet-and-greet on July 2, which parents attended, financial expert Rendel Solomon was a guest speaker. He talked about the importance of saving at least 10 percent of each check, paying off credit cards on time and budgeting.

Curtis said the students are being paid via direct deposit so they won’t be tempted to spend their paychecks.

“This makes them get a debit card," she said, "and so it also gets them checks, and now they can balance their checkbooks.”

At the end of the program, participants will receive a certificate of completion from Moore’s office. Moore praised the teamwork it took to make the new job program a reality.

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