By Contributing Writers Joshlyn Medina and Aliyah Santesevan, with Gaea McGahee
If you’ve come to Questa Farmers Market this season you’ve probably seen some of the young people involved in the QFM Internship Program. They’re running a coffee booth, making pizzas in the horno and working with other food businesses at the Market. Recently these interns checked in with one another and a visitor, to gather some perspectives. (Joshlyn Medina interviewed several interns July 16, while Aliyah Santesevan took photos.)
Donny Santistevan, QFM intern:
Q. What do you like most about the internship?
A. How you could come together as a community, especially as a student.
Q. What is your best and favorite overall experience of the farmers market internship?
A. It is a very fun and cool experience and I like how the community comes together to help the economy.
Lexi Brown, QFM intern:
Q: What do you like most about the internship?
A: The community getting together.
Q: What is your best and favorite overall experience of the farmers market internship?
A. Meeting people from across the country.
Aaliyah to piper, QFM intern:
Q. What do you like most about the internship?
A. Meeting all the new people and working with the vendors.
Q. What is your best and favorite overall experience of the farmers market internship?
A. Learning how to work well with food and communication skills.
Justin, who is traveling with his donkey, Minister:
When Justin was asked about his experience of the farmers market, he said, “it’s been a very lovely time and very good music and I love seeing the vendors.” Justin and Minister travel by foot, and have walked more than 100 miles recently, from Taos through Angel Fire, Red River, Questa, and back towards Taos.
QFM is a program of the nonprofit Localogy, and has been developing a paid youth internship program since 2019.
QFM received a 2-year Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation (LANLF) Education Enrichment Grant Award to support the youth internship aspect of the market’s mission. The goal during the 2022 – 23 seasons has been connecting youth to agricultural education opportunities and learning about a local food system by experiencing parts of that system.
QFM also received funding managed through Taos Community Foundation: a grant from Chevron Grants for Good, as well as Taos County ARPA (American Rescue Plan) funding. These funds support youth internship and mentorship work.
For more information on how to get involved with the Farmer’s Market, contact Gaea McGahee, Questa Farmers Market Program Director
Email: growersmakers@gmail.com
Phone: (575) 224-2102
QuestaFarmersMarket.org
