The UJIMA Program

The UJIMA Program, established in 2022 within Urban Tilth’s ACTIVATE initiative, fosters Black youth leadership in Crescent Park and greater Richmond. The program reconnects Black youth with the land, cultivating skills, and inspiring a commitment to collective growth and community well-being. Rooted in the Kwanzaa principle Ujima, meaning “collective work and responsibility,” UJIMA uplifts and supports the Black community by fostering leadership, cultural pride, and community engagement. The principle also helps instill the belief that thriving communities depend on mutual support, where each generation plays a critical role in shaping the future.

What is UJIMA?

At its core, the UJIMA Program uses farming and gardening as tools for empowerment, education, and unity. Through hands-on agricultural practices, youth reconnect with the land while learning about Black cultural heritage and environmental justice. The program empowers young people to lead by nurturing their leadership potential and fostering a deep sense of responsibility toward their community’s physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

UJIMA also places a strong emphasis on intergenerational exchange. The program creates space for elders to share their wisdom while also valuing the creativity, energy, and perspective of youth. Encouraging mutual respect and highlighting the power of collaboration between generations to create positive community change. By connecting these generations, UJIMA nurtures a holistic approach to leadership development that bridges the gap between the past, present, and future.

As part of Urban Tilth’s ACTIVATE initiatives, UJIMA is a vital expression of our commitment to a Just Transition. In an era of climate disruption, social inequality, and systemic injustice, UJIMA contributes to shifting from extractive, profit-driven systems to regenerative, life-affirming practices. By supporting Black youth in becoming active participants in reshaping their communities, UJIMA plays an essential role in creating a more just, sustainable, and equitable future for all.

What We Do

Here at Ujima we focus on teaching the community about gardening and farming through the lens of the Black perspective. Each summer, we host up to eight youth for six weeks through our Summer Youth Apprenticeship Program S.Y.A.P in Crescent Park. We have presentations about farming and gardening that we share with them, and then we put our hands in the dirt. Each week is themed. 

During the summer, we host three collaboration days that bring youth from all our program sites together. These days, allow apprentices to connect, build relationships, and work together across sites.

1. Orientation Day kicks off the summer, where all youth come together for icebreakers and team-building activities, helping everyone get to know one another.
   
2. Work Day gives participants the chance to engage in hands-on service projects like planting, weeding, and trash pickup, promoting teamwork and giving back to the community.
   
3. Summer Block Party wraps up the season during the final week. Held at Crescent Park, this community-wide celebration includes food, music by a DJ, seed ball making, screen printing, and more.
   

In addition to these collaboration days, we also take at least two field trips each summer that connect to themes we explore throughout the program.

Meet TJ Sykes

When the Summer is over, Tj Sykes, the Ujima Program Manager, tends the garden watering, weeding, planting, and harvesting weekly.  Harvested fruits and vegetables are distributed through the Crescent Park food pantry on Mondays and the Crescent Park farm stands on Tuesdays. Tj also facilitates a young men’s group in the Crescent Park Community Center on Thursdays. They focus on current events, life skills, and goal setting. Throughout the week Tj also supports other teams at different sites like gleaning with Orchards For All (OFA), weeding, planting or harvesting with the North Richmond Farm (NRF), packing food bags with the Community Supported Agriculture Team (CSA) and passing out food to the community with the Farm Stands Crew.

If you’d like to volunteer or get involved, please send an email to volunteer@urbantilth.org