Youth at Merced County Probation are learning valuable skills that empower them to pursue careers in the food industry and agriculture. They also learn to embrace hobbies such as gardening, raising animals, cooking, harvesting, and cultivating the land. 

Recently, youth helped build garden beds, tool sheds, and chicken coops as they prepared for the gardening season. Youth eagerly planted tomatoes and other vegetables in their new garden area alongside the brand new chicken coops they built and soon will house livestock, and their fruit trees. 

The youth look forward to harvest every year as this means they will make their infamous salsa from the tomatoes and herbs they grow themselves, something that they continually enjoy making “super spicy”. 

Soon, the youth will be also able to gather their own eggs and learn to cook them in a variety of ways as they develop cooking skills they can use in their kitchens or even out in the culinary world. 

With the incredible partnership between Merced County Probation and the Merced County Office of Education (MCOE), opportunities like the garden and their Rise to Higher Grounds coffee trailer are just a few of the ways youth in probation are learning valuable skills they can take with them once they return to their community. 

Opening in June 2023, Rise to Higher Grounds coffee cart, is an initiative brought to life through a partnership with to provide youth currently on probation an opportunity to gain work experience and skills in the cafe industry.

The mobile coffee trailer is operated by staff from the MCOE Adult ROP Culinary Essentials program and supervised youth on probation from Juvenile Hall. Merced County Probation sends the eligible students from Juvenile Hall to the MCOE Career and Technical Education (CTE) Culinary Essentials class where they learn necessary skills to staff the cafe and earn their food handlers license before they start working in the trailer.

Culinary Essentials Instructor Tisha McParland works alongside the youth in the trailer and teaches them all the skills they need to know, from customer service to operating the POS system, to how to make the drinks and serve the snacks. 

Merced County probation officers drive the trailer to selected sites around MCOE, Merced County and Merced City throughout the week, and the students sell coffee from Peet’s Coffee menu and light food items prepared by fellow students in the CTE Culinary Essentials class. 

Rise to Higher Grounds shares locations, times and updated menu items regularly on their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

As more probation departments and counties continue to implement outdoor activities, gardens, animals, art, music, and various tools to promote positive behavior change and the well-being of youth across the state, California Probation continues to be a proponent of positive youth development and the connector in our justice system to the rehabilitative needs of youth.

–

View photos from Merced County Probation’s Juvenile Hall: