The staff of Wisconsin Farmers Union's Kamp Kenwood will again be joining us to lead educational activities and fun in our Teen Space for kids ages 12 & up. The Teen Space will be located in the Exhibit Hall this year, with a schedule of activities throughout Friday and Saturday, and is designed for high school–aged teens interested in agriculture, food systems, and farming careers. The goals of the Teen Space are to provide exposure to organic agriculture and career pathways, build confidence in navigating a professional conference, and support peer connection.

Teens will also be invited to participate in a scavenger hunt — those who complete it will be entered into a drawing to win a $25 REI Co-op gift card at the end of the conference!

Friday – Skills, Careers & Community

8:30–9:00 a.m. | Teen Morning Check-In

• Teen group check-in at the teen table
• Conference orientation: how sessions work, expectations, youth norms
• Icebreaker activity: “Why are you here?” ag interests round
• Review day’s options
• Goal-setting: “One person I want to talk to today”

9:00–10:15 a.m. | Session 1 (Hands-On Focus)

• Group votes on their preferred workshop:
  – Hands-on Workshop: Maintaining Fence for Livestock
  – Hands-On Workshop: Small Grain Equipment Showcase
  – Featured Speakers: Food is Medicine
  – Workshop: Elderberry and Black Currant Deep Dive: From Lab to Field
  – Roundtable: Farmers Have Policy Power
  – Panel: Grow Your Own Fertility & Reduce Reliance on Inputs

10:30–11:45 a.m. | Session 2A

• Group votes on their preferred workshop:
  – Featured Speaker: Building a World for People and the Planet
  – Panel: Conservation on the Farm
  – Workshop: Fiber & Textile Potential in Agriculture

11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m. | Lunch & Student Networking

• Sit with other students, young farmers, or presenters
• Guided discussion prompts at lunch tables:
  -What does “organic” mean to you?
  -What kind of job could exist in agriculture besides farming?

12:45 p.m.–2:00 p.m. | Exhibit Hall Exploration

• Guided exhibit hall scavenger hunt:
  – Talk to a farmer
  – Talk to an equipment or seed vendor
  – Find a college or training program
  – Introductions to Marbleseed + WFU staff and farmers

2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. | Guided craft activity at teen table

• Option for making fruit and veg stamped canvas bags and / or bean mosaics

3:05–4:00 p.m. | Affinity Groups / Meetups

• Chaperone-assisted participation in Allyship meetup

4:15–5:30 p.m. | Teen Group Reflection

• Share experiences from affinity spaces
• Discuss inclusion, identity, and belonging in agriculture

5:30–7:00 p.m. | Exhibit Hall & Supper, Regroup with families

Saturday – Pathways & Looking Forward

9:00–10:15 a.m. | Teen Table Gathering

• Meet up with young farmers and college students
• DIY tea blends “Teens will have the opportunity to create their own tea blend with dried herbs from midwestern farms.”

10:30–11:45 a.m. | Session 5A

• Featured Speaker: Solutions to Consolidation

11:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m. | Lunch & Teen Capstone Activity

• Group lunch
• Capstone reflection:
  – What careers did you learn about?
  – What would you like to learn next?
  – How could you stay involved in ag?

1:30–3:00 p.m. | Closing Featured Speaker

• Attend closing session together
• Final group photo & wrap-up