Youth on Farms

Connecting Youth with Agriculture

Thanks to the Canada Summer Jobs program, Groundbreakers is able to connect local food producers with young people looking for work and training on a variety of local farms in the Bulkley Valley.

Youth receive hands-on farming and gardening experience that can lead to future employment in the industry or give them the skills and confidence to start their own agriculture related business. Producers receive young people to work with them through Groundbreakers' wage subsidy and hiring program. This allows producers to not only affordably add to the skilled workforce of their operation, but also to the local agriculture workforce.

Are you a farmer, or a youth (15-30) interested in this program? Email our Youth on Farms Program Coordinator for more information.

Skills Building

Although most of the time Youth on Farms (YoF) participants are working on agriculture operations throughout the Bulkley Valley, they also spend some time helping out the School Gardens Program. In the summer of 2024, YoF participants learned how to install drip irrigation at Muheim Elementary School in Smithers. This turned out to be a highlight of the summer - the irrigation system worked perfectly and was just in time for the sunny days of July and August!