Youth listening sessions lead to the opening of a fresh food market in a food desert on Chicago’s west side
Project Highlights
With seventeen liquor stores and only two grocery stores within a half-mile of By The Hand Club’s campus in the Austin neighborhood, residents pay high prices for limited fresh food options or travel far distances. To remedy this issue and help engage local teens, By The Hand (BTH) reached out to Teska Associates to help facilitate a series of listening sessions with youth and professional athletes invested in the mission. Teska guided discussion around neighborhood needs, drilling down from possibilities to reality. Just 8 weeks later, a neighborhood liquor store was purchased, torn down, and a fresh food market operated by youth, Austin Harvest, was born.
“The market is a symbol of healing in our community. That’s why we wanted it. We wanted to be an outlet and a blueprint for change in our community.”
- Azariah Baker, By The Hand Teen
Austin Harvest | Source: By The Hand Club
Teska helped facilitate idea-sharing session with youth and professional athletes | Image Credit: Teska
The same teens who shared their vision now work at the market | Image Credit: By The Hand Club
Since its opening in August 2020, the market has been thriving | Image Credit: By The Hand Club