On April 21st, the WNCStong Youth Service Corps held its orientation program for the new 2026 cohort. In all, seventeen students from Asheville City as well as Buncombe, Madison and Yancey Counties will be interning on a diverse and dynamic set of host farms; those farms are listed below. Youth participants will be supported throughout their experience by a mentoring teacher from their own school. With a smaller cohort and tighter focus on food systems, this year’s program aims to build on the successes of its pilot year. Parallel to program implementation, CEFS staff will be working this year to formalize Corps activities and on-farm competencies as a pre-apprenticeship curriculum that will, ultimately, be registered with ApprenticeshipNC.
2026 Corps Host Farms:
- Pearson Garden Food Hub and Lucy S. Herring Elementary Peace Garden (both maintained by Bountiful Cities) in Asheville
- Southside Community Farm in Asheville
- Tierra Fertil Coop in Leicester
- Dig In! Yancey Community Garden in Yancey County
- Sweet Branch Farm and Forest in Yancey County
- Dirty Knees Farm in Madison County
The 2026 WNCStrong Youth Service Corps