Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project entails a…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project entails a service-learning partnership between the university of georgia and east jackson comprehensive high school in jackson county, georgia, to create and pilot high-impact high school courses and student leadership opportunities that develop stem learning, address food insecurity and waste, and increase local food security through agriculture. The project engages school and university partners to create and implement courses and resources to allow students to deepen their experiential learning, leadership, knowledge, and community outreach. At the same time, these courses and activities will expand the use of the school's existing garden beds and greenhouses as well as develop farm-to-school partnerships with local agricultural producers, increasing the amount of healthy produce available to the school community, many of whom are food-insecure. Students will also be able to provide leadership to address local needs such as food waste in their cafeteria and food-bag programs.participating students will develop better understanding of food systems, agriculture, and food insecurity, as well as have opportunities to enhance their social-emotional learning and their interest in agriculture. They will develop self-efficacy and leadership skills through working on real-world activities to increase healthy food availability, decrease local food waste, and tackle food insecurity challenges. The project will also result in high-quality curricula, courses, and student experiences that are informed by service-learning best practices and can be replicated in other schools.