Urban Agriculture

The Urban Ag Works Senior Only Program (UAW-SYOP) is a free program designed for qualifying high school seniors with an interest in Urban Agriculture with no prior exposure to CTE programs.

This program prepares individuals to apply knowledge and skills in the agricultural field. Instruction will cover the basic skills in a variety of areas associated with agriculture such as agricultural business and production, forestry, agricultural mechanization, horticulture services, agriculture sciences, and/or conservation and renewable natural resources. Instruction includes but is not limited to computer science; plant, animal, and soil sciences; principles of ecology and resource management; forestry; hydrology; principles of electronics; blueprint reading; and engine maintenance and repair.

The program will be housed at Fox Chase Farm with experiential visits at various agricultural sites around the City of Philadelphia and surrounding counties.  Students enrolled in UAW-SYOP will be at Fox Chase Farm (or other industry related site) for the two full days each week and report to their home school for the three remaining days each week.

Students enrolled in UAW-SYOP will meet all of the requirements for graduation of the School District of Philadelphia inclusive of the senior project.  All costs related to projects, resources (texts, etc.), certification fees and transportation will be covered by The School District of Philadelphia.

Program Highlights

  • Examine food policy, labor, and economics
  • Produce food to help support the Philadelphia Community and teach others how to address food security
  • Explore career pathways in animal science, including pharmaceutical health management
  • Examine career pathways in the Food Science and Food Systems Relationship
  • Work with small and large animals to better understand the food system relationship
  • Use the latest technology found within agriculture
  • Learn how to operate equipment and become certified

Who is Eligible to Apply?

The UAW-SYOP Program is seeking applications from current 11th-grade students enrolled in a School District of Philadelphia schools.  Current juniors must meet the criteria below to qualify for the program:

Must have 17.5 credits by the end of their junior year
Have an interest in Urban Agriculture

What to Submit?

Students must submit the following information in order to be considered for the program:

Completed Application
Student letter of interest

Next Steps

Students will be notified of the next steps via email (please ensure that you provide an email address that you can access) inclusive of an interview.