Susan Yokofich GROWING POWER Cultural Assessment Will Allen, co-founder of GROWING POWER, started with an idea that

emerged from a passion, working in dirt. This passion created his compassion for the community, the inner city of Milwaukee, in job development and growing food. The two ideas translated into eating healthy and living a fruitful bearing life. The fruits of labor involved creating jobs for inner city youth and providing the community the opportunity to eat nutritious, healthy foods. Through employment opportunities for inner city African American youth and an initiative to change the landscape of impoverished neighborhoods on the north side, Will decided to take action. His thoughts were entangled around the vision that current conditions of local businesses were at a loss in these neighborhoods. Retail outlets were closing due to high unemployment. In order to make these neighborhoods flourish in business development and opportunity, Mr. Allen knew he had to pitch his idea to the corporate level as prospective development. With his life experience and reputation in farming and agriculture he set his sights on Milwaukee Common Council and was granted an award to begin his vision. It was a grant that would employ African American youth in neighborhoods that were known for crime and poverty. It was a solution in creating life changing opportunities and values with youths who lived in these predicaments. Mr. Allens proposal involved financial support in building 150 hoop homes in the inner city. This was a commitment Mr. Allen reached through an idea he shared with others in the community in establishing greenhouses to grow healthy foods for families and businesses and create job growth. He is convinced that without a way to grow healthier foods, or not providing the sources needed, the supply of clean water and land, this transformation could not be

supported. Being a farmer, Wills knowledge through experimental agricultural systems led to innovations that created multiple ways to change landscapes of rural areas and create ecosystems that produced dairy products and vegetation. Allens goal was in providing his guidance in creating educational opportunities from these components. With the help of local teens dedicated to make a difference and learn the fundamentals of his eco-systems he knew this would break the cycle of unemployment and hunger. The socialization of Mr. Allen creating hoop homes, greenhouses built to provide work and harvest nutritious foods in neighborhoods locally and regionally would exceed the communitys expectations in this cultural assimilation. The hoop homes and his partnership with the local government and businesses in the community are developing into a multi-million dollar project. These living eco-systems put teens to work and are changings the land-scape of their city and improving future talent in youths. Awarded the The Social Innovation Prize in Wisconsin, Will Allens idea supported by the Milwaukee Common Council, announced the Growing Capacity for the Green Economy Initiative (GCCE), in addressing these issues. This initiative addressed social problems in the inner city of Milwaukee and aimed in creating a model for other groups throughout the state and our country to grow healthy minds and communities. This grant will teach children the fundamentals in learning the process of farming and other attributions to better equip them for their future. Will promised to match the grant amount to prove that his city project could create job growth and healthy food for neighborhoods with no grocery stores. The emphasis on partnerships in the community evolved from networking with a number of city establishments. This venture will provide the revenue to pay back the grant. This investment is a commitment by Will and other organizations to stand proud in changing problems of poverty and crime locally. The initiative connects business leaders of the community in support of ideas and visions by making a difference bringing awareness to these

challenges. His hard work through innovative creations has brought healthy foods and employment to areas affected by poverty Developing hoop homes provides healthy foods, minds and community equaling economic stability. Will has shown inner city youth the skills needed to assist in transforming their neighborhoods by groundbreaking ones own backyard. Anticipatory socialization structured through vocation. The opportunity to reach down and get your hands dirty and grow produce for your family and help others in your neighborhood is achieving success in cultivation. His motto changed the landscape of local communitys and assisted in the development of employment for youths wanting to learn to teach others how to grow vegetation. The self-actualization was implemented by the opportunity for inner city youths to learn the process of recycling waste in creating compost, compressing products to create nutritious soil or to involve oneself and learn about urban farming. From these actions youths in Milwaukee experienced a variety of reactions in the form of clothing, food, employment, and belonging to a cause. Growing Powers CEO, Will Allen, represents Maslows Hierarchy of Needs through his idea providing sustenance to the community through his eco-systems. He established a commitment with his staff and outside businesses in the retail industry that through the fruits of labor success is limitless. Providing education and training to his employees and the mass population to learn how to grow their own food and live healthy transmits to others and their families to achieve goals in developing a healthy community. His staff needs are met through the organization in security of employment, love in belonging to a cause, self-esteem in responsibility and success in self-actualization. Allens ideas are built around community supported food systems. These eco-systems give back safe affordable healthy food s to all, residents of Milwaukee and outlying areas. Growing Power develops food centers which is the key component to his idea. This system creates education needed to teach, demonstrate and technically assist in building hoop homes and

communicating awareness to the creation and production of healthier neighborhoods. Growing Power is guided by manufactured consent with staff and area businesses. The community is led by the desire to employ and educate others and to improve their organization with the demand of produce requested by businesses. Growing Power exemplifies making a difference in the community through their staff; their efforts create significant changes that magnify the human relation approach. Its helping others accomplish a goal by challenging themselves to live a healthier lifestyle to reap rewards and build confidence in each other. Growing power stands by its commitment to provide education through 3 projects. These programs are Growth, Bloom and Thrive, and in each one of these projects exemplify hard work through growth from hands on sites learning, the education in development, and the production of harvest to commercialize, providing food to the community. The self-supporting urban farms create structure and can be interpreted as an ecosystem of livestock, plants with participative employees. Introducing ways to harvest organic matter by waste products as coconut shells to livestock producing dairy products shows commitment to producing foods from different components. Will Allens field of study in aquatics and with his invention of the Aquaponic System displays his knowledge in irrigation and with preserving the eco-system. Its with these components Allen pushes production security and practices within his business. As in Likerts system IV, participation of employee decision making matches Growing Powers philosophy to involve staff in the totality of the business and to support relationships with groups wanting to communicate their mission to the general public. Self-worth in each employee in the business permeates ethos to the general public creating awareness. It is through Allens beliefs and hard work that guide the systems perspective in others. His eco-systems are a social system in place with components. Relationships driven by outside agents that purchase the vegetation, dairy and meats for their restaurants and local retail sites is one component.

The community that interacts with his business in requesting education on growing their own produce is another component. Adhering to a system composed of a group of people creating relationships among themselves at work sites and with others in the community provides the energy to pitch their ideology on invention and sustainability. The interdependent venues that connect and work with Growing Power support their mission and become part of this juncture as does the public that frequents these establishments to purchase these foods. The importance in promoting Will Allens philosophy and inventions is keeping his ecosystems running. Teaching others on re-distribution of waste benefits everyone and the components used in providing our habitat with eco-friendly remedies to sustain our environment is beneficial globally. Growing Power has many attributes that convince me to research more on this area of study and possibly learn how to cultivate my own food for prosperity and because it just makes sense.

Work Cited

Eisenberg, Eric M., H. Lloyd Goodall, Angela Trethewey. Organizational Communication Balancing Creativity and Constraint. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins 2010. Print. Growing Power about Us. Growing Power. Milwaukee Headquarters. Web 26 Nov. 2011. <http://www.growingpower.org/headquarters.htm>

Growing Power Part 1 of 3. YouTube.com. Web 26 Nov. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watchzv=k39d2myzrfq>

Growing Power Part 2 of 3. YouTube.com. Web 26 Nov. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watchzv=kenge18wiqg>

Growing Power Part 3 of 3. YouTube.com. Web 26 Nov. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watchzv=nutsmk2mpdm> Paykin, Thomas. Milwaukee Business News - JSOnline.com Milwaukee Wisconsin Business News and Stock Prices JSOnline. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Breaking News, Sports, Business, Watchdog Journalism, Multimedia in Wisconsin. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 7 Sept. 2011. Web. 26 Nov. 2011. <http://www.jsonline.com/business/129412288.html>

Social Innovation Prize in Wisconsin. Social Innovation. 3 Oct. 2001. Web 26 Nov. 2011. <http://www.socialinnovationprize.org/index.php?optic>