Help with a Postgraduate Project

Hi!

I'm working on a postgraduate project at Central St. Martins looking to get young, inner city people into livestock farming and I need some help!

Would anyone be willing to offer some work to 18-24 year olds from from Hackney in East London for a couple of weeks?

There's massive unemployment for young people in cities (especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds), they have really poor connection to where food comes from, poor diets and most have only ever been to the countryside for school trips once! It feels like farming needs young people and young people need farming. For people in cities having such little access to farming and the countryside it's almost impossible for them to get their foot in the door. I'm looking for any help I can get from the farming community!

If you're interested let me know and I'll tell you more about the project.

Thank you!
[email protected]
 

PostHarvest

Member
Location
Warwick
Although I can see how inner city kids might benefit from a spell in the real world, I can see some major issues that need to be addressed. Livestock can be stubborn, intimidating, often dirty and smelly and sometimes downright dangerous. The majority of farms run with minimum labour so there aren't spare people to supervise young people in their first experience of dealing with stock. I'm thinking of commercial farms, not petting zoos. Livestock, machinery, heavy loads of feed and bedding plus the rawest of raw recruits, what could possibly go wrong?
Unfortunately I can think of 101 things that could go wrong, and if anyone was hurt in such a venture, HSE would have a field day. They seem to like nothing better than grabbing headlines by levying the highest possible fines.
 
Location
East Mids
I'm really sorry this is meeting a slightly negative response. We have taken 'pre-vet school' students before (ie 17 year olds) who haven't been near anything bigger than a dog before. But they have been local and we can only really keep them for a few days, because they do need complete supervision so it is a bit of a commitment knowing you need to be with them almost all the time. Hard to find time to do the paperwork and boring bits! That said, it can be very rewarding, but we have already booked in a couple of work experience bods for this summer so can't cope with any more.

We only have enough work for them when we are calving too, but then have only a small herd. Hopefully some can give a positive response to this request, especially as these are adults, albeit inexperienced.
 
Although I can see how inner city kids might benefit from a spell in the real world, I can see some major issues that need to be addressed. Livestock can be stubborn, intimidating, often dirty and smelly and sometimes downright dangerous. The majority of farms run with minimum labour so there aren't spare people to supervise young people in their first experience of dealing with stock. I'm thinking of commercial farms, not petting zoos. Livestock, machinery, heavy loads of feed and bedding plus the rawest of raw recruits, what could possibly go wrong?
Unfortunately I can think of 101 things that could go wrong, and if anyone was hurt in such a venture, HSE would have a field day. They seem to like nothing better than grabbing headlines by levying the highest possible fines.
Is there funding for the young peoples accommodation and transport during their work experience?
Hi Rob - thanks for the reply. As of yet there isn't funding, I'm just trying to see the lay of the land but if it's something that you might be interested in then let me know. The more people who are interested, the more quickly I can get things off the ground.
 
Although I can see how inner city kids might benefit from a spell in the real world, I can see some major issues that need to be addressed. Livestock can be stubborn, intimidating, often dirty and smelly and sometimes downright dangerous. The majority of farms run with minimum labour so there aren't spare people to supervise young people in their first experience of dealing with stock. I'm thinking of commercial farms, not petting zoos. Livestock, machinery, heavy loads of feed and bedding plus the rawest of raw recruits, what could possibly go wrong?
Unfortunately I can think of 101 things that could go wrong, and if anyone was hurt in such a venture, HSE would have a field day. They seem to like nothing better than grabbing headlines by levying the highest possible fines.
Thanks for the comment... You are completely right and there's a lot that can go wrong (also as far the project is concerned negative feedback is sometimes the most useful!) but that's what makes it a challenge. Do you have any suggestions for how I might go about tackling this problem in a less problematic way?
 
I'm really sorry this is meeting a slightly negative response. We have taken 'pre-vet school' students before (ie 17 year olds) who haven't been near anything bigger than a dog before. But they have been local and we can only really keep them for a few days, because they do need complete supervision so it is a bit of a commitment knowing you need to be with them almost all the time. Hard to find time to do the paperwork and boring bits! That said, it can be very rewarding, but we have already booked in a couple of work experience bods for this summer so can't cope with any more.

We only have enough work for them when we are calving too, but then have only a small herd. Hopefully some can give a positive response to this request, especially as these are adults, albeit inexperienced.
Hi Princess Pooper - I'm so pleased you can see the value in the project. It's crazy that so many young people haven't ever been near animals (or even the countryside). But for people in cities it is nearly impossible to access farming - it's a serious catch 22. Any suggestions for how to go about it would be amazing.
 

PostHarvest

Member
Location
Warwick
I encourage some town based friends with young kids to visit my suckler herd. Most of the kids are just too hyper and just don't seem to get it that the stock don't appreciate all the screaming. Is there any opportunity to get an agricultural college involved. They have the facilities and maybe the staff to enable inexperienced youg people to work safely with animals
 
Location
East Mids
Hi Princess Pooper - I'm so pleased you can see the value in the project. It's crazy that so many young people haven't ever been near animals (or even the countryside). But for people in cities it is nearly impossible to access farming - it's a serious catch 22. Any suggestions for how to go about it would be amazing.
Contact LEAF as they are a key organisation with regard to education, social inclusion / sustainability, they have participated in previous Lottery funded projects getting people onto farms that wouldn't normally get onto farms, albeit for shorter timescales. They have lots of experience and lots of contacts. Good luck! https://education.leafuk.org/
 
Location
East Mids
I encourage some town based friends with young kids to visit my suckler herd. Most of the kids are just too hyper and just don't seem to get it that the stock don't appreciate all the screaming. Is there any opportunity to get an agricultural college involved. They have the facilities and maybe the staff to enable inexperienced youg people to work safely with animals
I know what you mean - hysterical screams every time a cow lifts its tail tends to make for somewhat edgy herd of animals... but again, bear in mind these are adults. Great idea about a college though, many run taster days for those about to leave school so not so much of a jump up for this group to get involved as a starting point.
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
While I have sympathy with your project, I wouldn't want to encourage youngsters to become involved here for the reasons others have mentioned.

But I do think the title of your thread could have been better chosen. Most here will think, `"Oh, another bloody silly badly worded survey about badgers or ravens" and pass on by.

What about getting young people already involved in farming to introduce city kids to their lifestyle? So youngster-to-youngster? Maybe a two way swap?

I have always employed youngsters to help with kennels and horses but I am careful to choose those with some experience. I've recently become listed as a host on https://www.helpx.net/ and https://www.workaway.info/ and I am already getting some interesting inquiries. Not quite what you are talking about, but looks good. Maybe something similar for city kids IF they could be motivate to get interested?
 
We have had various young people on the farm, and I instantly recognise the worries of the posters above, but it has been possible to fit them in and have them helping in a useful way.
Some have come to us via schemes that organise this, and then there has been a list of activities that are not permitted, which in many cases detracts from the experience and from an operational point of view.
I wish you well with your project, we are not in a position to help at present, but do keep posting on your progress, and we can get a better idea of how it can be done safely and sensibly
 
We have had various young people on the farm, and I instantly recognise the worries of the posters above, but it has been possible to fit them in and have them helping in a useful way.
Some have come to us via schemes that organise this, and then there has been a list of activities that are not permitted, which in many cases detracts from the experience and from an operational point of view.
I wish you well with your project, we are not in a position to help at present, but do keep posting on your progress, and we can get a better idea of how it can be done safely and sensibly
Hi Rod, Thanks for the reply - if you know of anyone who might interested then please do let me know... But I will keep you posted!
 
Location
East Mids
Try these people too as they offer hands-on work. Although they normally take children you might be able to work up a pilot project they are interested in. They have accommodation. http://farmsforcitychildren.org/our-farms/how-the-farms-work/ but as they are a charity no doubt some funding would be appreciated! (Perhaps the youngsters could earn money in the same way that teenagers do bag packing, cake sales etc to fund overseas trips with school or Uni).
 

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