Project Launch:

The Garden of Growth was a completely youth-planned, youth-initiated and youth-maintained project. With support from World Connect’s Kids to Kids Program, the youth of Quebrada started up a youth-run ornamental flower garden to tap into the flower sales market. The youth in Quebrada researched starting up and maintaining a healthy ornamental flower garden, and aim for it to become a stable economic business in the small village of Quebrada Grande. The youth were given communal property in the town center for their garden and the result is a bountiful garden that is used to generate produce to sell. This project not only united the community and inspired participating youth, but it brought a potentially lucrative and sustainable economic engine to the village. This project helped the entire community by creating a hobby and possibly a business for many youth and motivated a youth population that was previously inactive in the community. This project will help future generations of kids in the community by providing them with a good example of youth action and set a precedent for determination and perseverance. The project was led by Fredy, a 22 year old who is a brilliant student and suffers from epilepsy, who introduced the idea to his peers. The group now knows how to work together and lead a great youth group and are planning weekend trips to the tourist areas of the region to begin selling their plants once they are in season. The group has joined forces with the community women’s association to learn more about flower sales and how to gain attention and are also soliciting small business courses from governmental organizations. This project promises to provide opportunity to the community's youth for years to come.