Other Programs

School Programs

Ag in the Classroom:

• Integrating the National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum into STEM units
• Connecting school curriculum to careers – Identifying and integrating specific examples of Ag-tech careers in Monroe County that can serve to engage and motivate students in STEM.
• USDA news related to Agriculture Careers: "Employment Outlook Remains Strong for Agriculture Graduates"

Citizen Science:

• Using Monroe County data for Inquiry – Incorporating data from a variety of citizen science projects (e.g. Bird Sleuth, Habitat Network, Monarch Watch, iMapInvasives, GLOBE, Stream Monitoring Network) into specific STEM units.

School Gardens:

• Sustainable school gardens for pollinators, produce / herbs, rain gardens
• School cafeteria recycling and food waste-to-compost systems

Cultivating Community Work-Skills Program

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County's 4-H Youth Development Program in collaboration with the City of Rochester's Department of Recreation and Human Services offers paid summer horticulture, civic engagement, and life-skill development experiences to youth ages 13-18.

For 6 weeks each summer, fifteen select 14-year-olds from across the City of Rochester engage in the Cultivating Community work-skills program. During the mornings, the crew learns about horticulture and urban agriculture, completing projects to benefit city neighborhoods; in the afternoons, they are engaged in personal and life skill development such as: cooking, financial management, First Aid and CPR, resumes and interviewing, food systems and justice, and more. A Teen Leader is also hired to assist the Program Leader with all aspects of program implementation; providing peer mentoring to the cohort of youth.

A winter session is also provided for youth to explore citizenship projects based on youth-voice, utilizing the Positive Youth Development model.

Cultivating Community is a tremendous success for the youth, their families, and for City of Rochester neighborhoods and community!  Check out the links on this page for more on the program and its successful first year! 

Last updated May 4, 2026