Teens for Food Justice

Our Mission

Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ) is a 501c3 nonprofit galvanizing a youth-led food justice movement working to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to fresh, healthy food and to end the cycle of health complications dramatically and unequally impact low-income New Yorkers of color. TFFJ works within Title I middle and high schools in food deserts, training students to maintain indoor hydroponic farms growing thousands of pounds of produce annually that is served at school lunch and distributed to surrounding communities. Students also learn nutrition, health, and advocacy skills that empower them to lead themselves and others towards healthier futures.

By Fall 2021, TFFJ will operate 5 farms serving 18 schools and more than 7,000 students across New York City. We also anticipate launching farm expansions in Denver and Miami by Spring 2022.

Our Program

TFFJ's program serves NYC Title I middle and high school students with curricular day STEM class integration with the farm and out-of-school-time food justice advocacy activities to support their academic, social, and emotional development. Students build and help manage our hydroponic farms, each of which can grow more than 10,000 pounds of produce annually, and all farm activities are aligned with STEM curricula as well as state math/science standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Our model also includes comprehensive nutrition and health education and food justice advocacy skills training, which help students become educated consumers and creators of solutions to food inequity.

While New York City is home to many programs focused on youth and/or urban agriculture, TFFJ’s program is unique in its comprehensive approach to employing those elements as tools for food equity. We teach students how to grow healthy produce through a model that: provides a hands-on experiential laboratory for STEM and sustainability education; offers real, daily results and outcomes for youth; empowers students to become advocates for food justice within their communities; transforms what students consume at lunch every day into a healthier menu provided by the youth themselves; and gives food-insecure communities increased, immediate access to affordable healthy produce.

Equal Employment and Diversity

TFFJ embraces inclusivity and wants our employees to be as diverse and multifaceted as the communities in which we operate. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture but also our reputation and the organization's achievements.

TFFJ’s commitment to equal employment opportunity and diversity applies to all aspects of employment: recruitment and selection; compensation and benefits; professional development and training; promotions; transfers; and terminations. TFFJ does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, ethnicity, age, religion, sex/gender (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, nationality, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, marital status, familial status, domestic violence victim status, unemployed status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.