MOUNT HEALTHY, Ohio — A local farm came up with a different kind of way to address gun violence. They’re giving teens something to do that could turn into a career.
Xavier May, 17, is not afraid of a little work. He said he’s been learning the ins and outs of urban farming and the environment.
“This is the hydroponic system. When we put the water and nutrients in, it runs through a hose,” said May.
The high school student is part of a group of about seven teenagers going through a new job training program at Tikkun Farm in Mount Healthy.
It’s a program Mary Laymon hopes will keep more teens alive.
“As many high school graduates who aren’t going to college realize, especially when they live in our environment, like Mount Healthy, what do you do next is a big question,” said Laymon.
It’s a question she said LeMonte “Monie” Shields could never answer. She said after a summer as a camp counselor at the farm, the recent high school graduate was killed in the streets.
“We believe he was getting involved in more illegal ways to earn money, and he died in gun violence not far from here, and I just became so aware, with the death of this beautiful young man, that we need to somehow address this issue,” said Laymon.
She said his memory inspired her to start the job training program.
The teens in it are getting paid as they go, and by the end, she said they’ll be eligible to start a new path, a full-time job or career in farming.
“It’s a better place than just being on the street or being home and not learning anything the whole summer,” said May.
