SARE Panel: SOYL (Sowing Opportunities for Youth Leadership) Sustainable Agriculture Project

Connections Across the Generations

Friday, November 8th, 2024 – 9:00am MT – The Joe Rovere | Minnilusa Pioneer Room

SARE Panel: SOYL (Sowing Opportunities for Youth Leadership) Sustainable Agriculture Project

SOYL is a Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE)-funded project for youth in YFS’ Middle School Program. Participants studied sustainable agriculture through a series of class activities and field trips to local farms and ranches. The final project activity was to showcase their learning by teaching their younger peers at YFS’ Girls Inc. about a sustainable agriculture practice of their choice.

• Youth Led Sustainable and Ethical Beekeeping
  • Marla BullBear, Lakota Youth Development
    • Marla C. Bull Bear, M.A. is Sicangu (Burnt Thigh) Lakota, a wife of Naca Charles W. BullBear, mother and grandmother and has been sharing traditional knowledge with youth for over 30 years. Mrs. Bull Bear, founding Executive Director of Lakota Youth Development (LYD) received her Master’s in Community Counseling from a tribal university located on the Rosebud Reservation Her passion is the work of Lakota Youth Development and its culturally specific prevention program, teaching self-sufficiency with land stewardship and youth development through Lakota language immersion, apprenticeships in bee keeping and cultural heritage tourism enterprises
• SOYL (Sowing Opportunities for Youth Leadership) Sustainable Agriculture Project
  • Sharon Oney & Destiny Durham, Youth & Family Services
    • Sharon Oney is Chief Grants Officer and Garden Project Director at Youth & Family Services, Inc. (YFS) in Rapid City who is an enthusiastic gardener and beekeeper with a consuming interest in healthy foods. Destiny Durham has a degree in Environmental Physical Science from BHSU and has shared garden education activities with hundreds of kids, pre-K – 8th grade, at YFS for nearly two years. She has a passion for stewardship of the land and enjoys sharing her passion with others.
• Multi-state safe and humane shearing workshops
  • Jaelyn Whaley, SDSU Extension
    • Jaelyn Whaley has served SD as the Sheep Field Specialist for 4 years in Lemmon. She grew up raising sheep and cattle and throughout graduate school, helped coach wool judging. Her passion for both lamb and wool production continues through her extension efforts.