Strategic Goals
We envision communities inspired by food and transformed by youth. The following 2025-2028 strategic goals guide Jones Valley Teaching Farm’s work.
EDUCATION
Advance pre-K-12 grade educational attainment, curiosity, and engagement through food-based experiential learning opportunities.
FARMING & FOOD RESILIENCY
To operate vibrant and youth-centered teaching spaces (indoor and outdoor) that serve to increase food access, serve as a place to teach the knowledge and skills needed to foster a food-resilient community, and provide a means of vegetable production for the schools we serve.
YOUTH PATHWAYS & EXPERIENCES
Expand experiences and opportunities for Birmingham youth and graduates to achieve economic mobility through paid work-based learning, support resources, and exposure to career and higher education pathways
BUILDING COMMUNITY
Serve as a national leader and framework for food-based education, sustainable urban farming, youth economic mobility, and healthy food-resilient communities.
ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH
Foster a financially healthy, well-governed, supportive, and sustainable organization to drive us toward the successful attainment of our mission and vision.
Our Values
We value CENTERING YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS in our work. This looks like consistently asking “How does this decision benefit youth and young adults?” and using this question to drive programmatic, organizational, operational, and fundraising decisions across the
organization.
We value RADICAL CARE AND WELLBEING. This looks like prioritizing planning and caring for ourselves so that we have the capacity to thoughtfully care for others.
We value INCLUSIVITY. This looks like respecting different cultures, traditions, beliefs, languages, identities, genders, and lived experiences as we work together towards our collective mission.
We value CONTINUOUS LEARNING. This looks like acknowledging that we are all learners and taking the time for feedback, finding joy in trying new things, and asking “why not?” instead of “no way” or “I know.”
We value GROWTH. This looks like personally and professionally doing the best we can until we know better and when we know better, we commit to doing better.
We value TEAMWORK. This looks like looking for ways to support our colleagues and partners beyond our defined responsibilities, creating opportunities for building relationships and trust, and knowing our work is successful when we are working together and that each role within the
organization serves an integral purpose towards our mission.