What is Seed Your Future? Interview with Executive Director Jazmin Albarran

Episode 160: The floral industry has so many amazing career opportunities, however, we've fallen short on engaging the "inquiring minds" of children when they are starting to think about what they want to be when they grow up. Here enters Seed Your Future!
Vonda and Lori and joined by Jazmin Albarran, the executive director of Seed Your Future. She shares all you need to know, from what it is and how it started to what you can do to help encourage others to join our great industry! Seed Your Future is the movement to promote horticulture and inspire people to pursue careers working with plants and flowers. We envision a world where everyone understands and values the importance of plants and flowers and the people – like everyone in this audience - who work in the art, science, technology and business of horticulture. Here are some great links for you to take a deeper look.

Plant Power Quiz on the We Are Bloom website.

Plant Power videos on our YouTube channel – here’s one about flowers.

Seed Your Future website link to the list of career profiles, industry scholarships and internships and the where to study map.

Curriculum & digital games for middle school students.

Green Career Week toolkit download link.

Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:04

I wanna connect with my local schools, but I don't know how, I don't know who to reach out to. What do I even talk to these kids about? Like, it can be overwhelming.

Speaker 2 0:17

Welcome

Speaker 3 0:18

To the business and Pleasure of Flowers. We're your host, Fonda La

Speaker 4 0:21

Fever and Lori Wilson . And we believe that business and fun are a perfect combination, kind of like us. Wanda <laugh>.

Speaker 5 0:33

Lori , I'm so excited for our guest today.

Speaker 4 0:35

I know we have been , um, seeing this organization a lot in the last three years, and I think the more we've seen it, the more we're like, gosh, I'm really curious. What is that? What can I, you know, what can we do to help? Um, so you reached out to Jasmine Abra , who is the executive director of C Future. And Jasmine, you are so gracious to say, yes, I'll be on the pod and tell you all about it . So welcome.

Speaker 1 1:05

Thank you. Thank you for having me, and for making some time to bring c future to all of your listeners. Um, we were created for the industry , um, to support, but we also need their help. So I'm looking forward to getting our information to them.

Speaker 4 1:19

Great. Because I was, I kept seeing C Future at any event, that was sponsored by , uh, or put on by Society of American Floors . So in my mind I was like, oh, that's like a little segment of them, but are you or are you separate?

Speaker 1 1:37

So we are separate from s a f . We are a partner because s a F has one of their goals around workforce development. You know, you , they have career connection. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> and Future, future. We are all about workforce development. Instead of starting it from scratch themselves, they decided to partner with us. So we do the heavy lifting, but we're doing it together. And they support the work that we're doing, as you said, at several meetings and events that you've been to. They're always highlighting future, future, our resources. And because we are very new to floor culture , really just trying to pique the interest of the industry to learn more about us and, and strengthen those relationships here.

Speaker 5 2:16

That sounds great. So first, let's start with your background. Tell us a little bit about Jasmine.

Speaker 1 2:24

So Jasmine has no experience in floor culture . Horticulture. I never thought I would be here. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> . Um , I assume most people need to have like a PhD or X amount of certificates for it. My background is in mental health and youth development. Um , great . Right . And now , you know, that's kind of where my career was. Um, and in operations specifically, I love looking at , um, systems and outreach and communication. Really getting information to families , um, and youth so they can have better lives in general. Um, the previous executive director was retiring and she reached out to me and said, you know, I think you are the best person for this position. Would you consider applying? And I was just definitely afraid. I went , I know nothing about plants. I killed my allos and my cactus. Now , how could I be a good fit? But she said, the industry would teach you all you need to know about plants and flowers. You bring the business acumen, the youth development, the workforce development that is needed to take future, future to the next level. You understand those systems. And , um, I, you know, really shortly thinking about it, and I was like , I , well , I do love plants and flowers, and I do believe they impact our physical, mental, and emotional health. So that would still be very in line with my mental health background, because if you love what you do, you're more satisfied, you're more happy. You know, you , you , it still is, I think, again, in the career path that I chose. Um, so the more I thought about it, and again, her reassuring that the industry would teach me, I went ahead and applied. And here I am, the search committee thought I was a good fit as well. And when I tell you I have not been around a more supportive, engaging, and friendly industry, like the plant and flower horticulture, floor culture , ag people have gone out of their way. They've given me personal time to teach me about the supply chain, the seasonality. You know, that our flowers come from South America and all around the world, and we have some that are grown here. Uh , things that I had no idea, but then now I know right? It was a steep learning curve, but it was fun. And I get to walk around public gardens for work, right ? Yeah. I get to go into these wonderful, beautiful s a f events that are, you have these flowers and the arrangements all over. Um , it doesn't compare. So it's exciting. Even though, like I said, I would've never seen myself here. And I think that's the case with a lot of young people, right? Right. And when , especially when they're told, you know, be a teacher, be a doctor, be a lawyer, be a police officer. No one is saying be a florist. No one is saying be a horticultures. So we need to get in front of them as soon as possible, the middle school age, and make them aware of if you are an artsy person, if you're creative for design, can be for you. If you like HR and accounting, well, we need those in this industry as well. So it's how do we make the time, find the time to build those relationships with those local communities so that they're aware of our businesses in the industry. So

Speaker 5 5:35

How long has C future been around?

Speaker 1 5:38

So, C Future's been around since 2014. It actually got started by academia and a lot of industry volunteers, they were at an S SHS conference, just kind of, you know, talking about the labor shortages and their concerns in the number of students coming into higher education programs. Those plant science programs, the laborer was affecting not just, you know, those positions that were entry level , but also like the breeders. And it's across the board, you know, they're , the , the , the shortages is seen and felt everywhere. Um, so they said, we can either keep talking about this or do something about it. Right ? So those volunteers , uh, went to a S H S and said, Hey, we'd like to start something. It didn't have a name at the time. Um , but how can we create impact that's gonna support labor , uh, workforce development in our industry? Um , and then a s has brought on Longwood Gardens and Ball , and here we are. Um , so after that, there was a lot of research that went in before creating this entity because they really wanted to know, well, who do we need to serve? Who needs to be our audience? And how are we gonna do that? Um , so there were three phases of research. The first phase was looking into the industry and asking, well, what are your needs? Why can't you find labor? Why can't you keep them? Um, what support do you need specifically from an organization? Mm-hmm . <affirmative> and the second phase telephone survey across the country to get the understanding of the public. What are your perceptions of the green industry? What do you know? And then the third phase, we did focus groups with children to get an understanding from them, what do you know about careers and plans and how do you want to learn about them? And all of that information was then what created C future, why we started focusing with middle school students. Because the research says that's when you start thinking about who you wanna be when you grow up. And if at that age you start learning about careers in flora , culture , horticulture, et cetera , you'll start being guided towards that. Now you have to continuously learn about 'em. You just can't, it's not a one time thing, but middle school is the prime age to start talking about careers in the green space with, with these students.

Speaker 4 7:58

What does that look like? I mean, are you allowed just to go into the middle schools and say, Hey, we're gonna do like a , a fair on seed your future, or how do you, excuse the pun, but plant the seed in middle schoolers , little mines about, Hey, I could do this.

Speaker 1 8:17

Yeah . So it's, we, our target area now is middle school, high school, higher education, vo-tech. Um, it's all of the above, right? Because we want to make sure that mm-hmm . <affirmative> , that message is being heard and resounded throughout their time. But we don't necessarily wanna get directly to the students. We wanna get to the teachers. So we're looking at where are they gathering, what are their associations, what are their conferences, what are events that we can speak to hundreds of teachers at one time and build those relationships so that they know our resources and they can then incorporate it as they are doing their curriculum throughout the year. So teachers are being asked to begin incorporating more career diversity information into their curriculum. But as you know, teachers, they're strapped for time resources. Yeah . Right? Like, if they don't know about it, it's hard for them to implement it. So we've created several, many different tools that give teachers the ability to insert videos and curriculum , um, and activities into their already planned schedule. And so these are great resources for your listeners to use to do outreach themselves and , you know, introduce yourself to a local high school science teacher and say, Hey, we love to come up and do a presentation for your students. And by the way, here are all these wonderful resources you can use for in your curriculum. So that's how we are doing the outreach, is asking industry to help us connect with schools in their local community. Cause you know, if every florist, if every industry professional connected with two to five schools, how impactful will that reach be?

Speaker 5 9:58

Yeah. Kind of relates to years ago, I used to do a lot of flying. I , I'm a small engine pilot. So one thing that the e a , which is Experimental Aircraft Association, was trying to get young people interested in flying. Right? And so the outreach program was, you would go into the school, you would teach them about flight, and then you would take them on a flight. To me, it's the same thing in a sense, because me as a professional needs to go to the junior high. Really, that's really where it would be. And say, I'd really like to talk to you about floral design and then, you know, and it could be in the art class, which would be the appropriate place, and actually do a demonstration and maybe have them do a hands-on. So I think my profession as far as floral design is so good about sharing that with whoever will listen. Right? We love to share our passion. And so that's what we need to be doing really, is just going to the schools and saying, Hey, you know, let's talk about a time that I could come in and share, you know, a little bit of maybe about the color wheel and we could do color mm-hmm . <affirmative> and floral and then give them some type of a handout that would talk about the opportunities available in horticulture and floor culture . Is that kind of where you're going with that?

Speaker 1 11:21

Yeah, absolutely. And teachers want that, you know, they want to add more experiential learning in the day-to-day classroom. Um , so one of the tools that we have for this specifically is we created Green Career Week. Because throughout my first year in the industry, I heard many say, I wanna connect with my local schools, but I don't know how, I don't know who to reach out to. What do I even talk to these kids about? Like, it can be overwhelming. Sure. So we created Greek Career Week , uh, which provides a toolkit, very step by step information on how to establish that relationship and what are some things to do, how to plan a field trip. So get students to come and see your floral space or you come into the classroom , um, and essentially do the same thing. Do design, but also talk about your, your, your shop and the positions you have and the company culture. The idea is really, you know, your employees are in your backyard, they just don't know you're there. So getting in front of these students during this , uh, national campaign is just one time throughout the year when you can begin that relationship , uh, with the , your local schools. So it's Green Career Week. We had our first one , um, in October, October 3rd through the seventh. And we had about 4,000 students that were reached across the country from different industries helping and going into the schools or having field trips , um, and on social media. Um , and the next one is going to be February 27th through March 3rd. Um, and we designated the week for it because if everyone is on social media, you know, posting pictures using the Green Career Week hashtag, that's where young people are.

Speaker 4 13:07

Yep .

Speaker 1 13:07

If we take the , you know, if we can show the diversity of the industry, they will see it in action. So that's the idea behind Green Career Week is one, to build those relationships with the schools and the students, but mostly for them to see us in action, see us working. And absolutely, I know it takes time, but you know, you just have to find one day that week or the week before or the week after to get in front of these students and highlight why you love what you do and why they would love being in this space as well. Um , so not only is that exposure for your business, but you could talk to them about, you know, potentially hiring them for the summer or holidays or internships. Again, start working up your own internal pipeline or future employees.

Speaker 5 13:53

Oh. What you've been able to experience already is the love of each and every person who does what they do in horticulture. And so once that person gets out in front of an audience, you know, that passion is going to show, you know, the excitement of for what they do. And that's how you really engage young people, right? Is when they see somebody who's excited and really likes what they're doing. And it's all about showing the love for what you do and see if you can get them to engage in that . Correct.

Speaker 1 14:27

Correct. Absolutely. And again, a lot of students have that creativity, but they don't know well, what's the outlet for it ? They assume it's just painting or drawing, but you can be an artist in floor design.

Speaker 4 14:40

So I have a question for you. Um, if I wa were was a flower shop owner and I was asked to go speak to a classroom, let's say you connected me, but I'm a little, I don't wanna use the word shy, but I would have no idea how to start this. Um, do you give them like an outline or do you walk them through, Hey start, you know, it's super simple. Just,

Speaker 1 15:08

Yeah. So we, when they download the green career re resources, we have a template itinerary for going into the classroom or having a site visit. So it's just kind of, here are some things to consider as you have young people what to talk to them about. Um, things to , you know, to give them time for journaling. So it really just gives you ideas on what to start and then you make it your own based on your capacity, based on the number of , uh, staff you wanna get involved. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And you'd be surprised, right? Students, I know kids sometimes be , it can be scary thinking about like, oh my gosh, I gotta go talk to these kids. Yeah . What do I say? How do I say it? Right? But you know, in the last year of , uh, green Career Week, we heard that students were so engaged, they asked a ton of serious questions, which shows that they were paying attention. Mm-hmm . This is all going to be very new to them. Right . So it's gonna be engaging. So we really say , you know, come in, use videos, have an activity, talk about yourself, right. Like you said earlier, send the people that are engaging and that can really show that that passion and love for their work, that's gonna make a world of difference. But yes, in the resources that they can download, there's tons of information to help them even reach out to their local media. Right. This is a great pr

Speaker 5 16:28

Sure. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> , uh,

Speaker 1 16:29

Moment for everyone individually. Um, so there are different information that is in that resource , uh, toolkit to help you plan whatever type of event that might be feasible for

Speaker 4 16:40

You. Yeah, I was just thinking about , um, I know a handful of our Flower Click members who have employed retired teachers , um, because they kind of wanted a second, you know, I wanna do something and , uh, send those people. They're used to middle schoolers, they're used to high school schoolers. They're the ones that can go in and control a classroom and make it exciting. If you , if you as a business owner feel terrified, thinking of standing in front of a bunch of, you know, eighth graders, send somebody else that that could

Speaker 5 17:17

Do it. Yeah. That likes the interaction type of thing. Yeah. So I haven't looked at the toolbox, which I'm now super excited to, to use. And , um, we will drop the link in our show notes. But question, do you have videos in there that show the different areas of career opportunities, like at the grower level, at the, you know, shipper level? Are there different levels that are shown in some type of a video?

Speaker 1 17:45

No, we don't, we haven't been able to capture video. That's the goal for this year coming up. You know, last year it was just, it's a pilot. Let's see what happens, let's see how many people can get involved. And now we're planning to be able to get footage and we're asking industry, send us videos so that we can also highlight in social media, on the website, in , in our marketing of the event for next, for

Speaker 5 18:05

The fall. Because I know even Lori and I , when we see some of those videos that are farm visits, you know, you go, they have the beautiful visits that they're going through the farm, they're showing them picking the

Speaker 4 18:16

Flowers. They're fascinating.

Speaker 5 18:17

And then the shipping, that's to me is fascinating. And I would think someone who's youthful would be like, wow, I didn't know porta culture was such a big industry. And I think that's what kinda cool to show the vastness of it. So I I love that that's one of your goals for this year is to show more video, you know, the , what the opportunities might be.

Speaker 1 18:38

Yeah. Yeah. That's why we're encouraging people to get images and get videos of your interaction with the students. So we can flood social media that week.

Speaker 4 18:48

Right . Do you , um, find that groups like F FFA and F B L A , those, those high school level and middle school groups, do you co uh, collaborate with them or do they jump on board ? Cuz I would think this would kind of fall under

Speaker 1 19:07

Yeah, so we, with the chapters that we're aware that we know and have relationships with, they have the information, they'll participate. It's just, you know, there is a chapter across the country, so getting to all of them is gonna take us time. But yes, that is definitely on our to do , you know, four H , all those already youth mm-hmm . <affirmative> established organizations, this is great for them as well. Yeah,

Speaker 5 19:29

Sure. Yeah . I know the American Institute of Floral Designers is kind of connecting with FFA and getting, you know, participating in the national level on that because for the same reason Right. For floral design. And that would be an ideal and two , I think future, because that would make a lot of difference to two of those should connect cuz this , it's a common goal, right. To get more people interested in our industry.

Speaker 4 19:56

Absolutely. I'm sitting here listening to this amazing program that you guys are providing for high schools . And I giggle a little bit because I think when I was in high school back in the eighties, I really did feel like my choices in life were stay home . Mom, teacher, nurse or I took a shorthand, I was like, something clerical. Like that was it. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , that really was it. And the fact that corporate organizations like yours are bringing all of these other options to men and especially women , um, it's, it's just phenomenal. I wish I would've had something like that. And our tech schools, you could be a cosmetologist or a mechanic. I didn't wanna be either of those <laugh>. So , um, so it's, it's so encouraging, I think be the word I'm trying to , uh, use thinking we're or organizations like yours, yours are, are bringing all of these other different options because like, like you, I've been in this industry for over a decade. I don't do flowers either. I, but I can do the business side and I love the people. The people in this industry are just like no other I have ever met in any other industry.

Speaker 1 21:29

Yeah, I agree. And, and I , for me personally, you know, seeing how much everyone loves what they do and the passion that they have Yes . Has given me just that much more motivation to reach more students because I know they will be happy the rest of their life working in this industry.

Speaker 5 21:46

I just love that you came from mental health and youth because that's really where this needs to be, right? I mean flowers and all this development is really about the mental health of not just the people in it but everyone. So that really marries itself to you working with youth and trying to bring people into it. So you know, when you're like questioning yourself, I mean it was kind of like , uh, this is kind of um, divine providence, right. Different , oh maybe this is exactly where I need to be. I just love that. Just love that.

Speaker 1 22:18

Yeah. And it definitely has been so much fun getting to know the industry and then thinking about, okay, now how do we get this industry connected to these students? How do we get these students aware of the variety of careers? Right? And it's not just careers working directly with the plants and, and flowers and produce, like you said, there's so many admin careers, graphic design, marketing, you can be a lawyer in this industry. Right. It's just making them aware that we exist is the hurdle and seizure feature . Can't do it alone. We need the support of everyone in the industry , um, connecting with us, using our resources and then also making that time in their community.

Speaker 5 23:01

That was my next question. What can our listeners, our clickers do to help? I'm sure, I mean financially I'm sure you need something to continue to bring things forward and to make , be able to provide video and more resources and get out in front of people. I mean, you tell us what is it that directly our clickers could do to help?

Speaker 1 23:23

Yeah, absolutely. We are a hundred percent donor funded, so we're always looking for dollars, whether it's $5, a thousand, whatever anyone can do. We have individual donors and then also corporate donors. But your listeners can obviously participate in Green Career Week in any matter possible. Um, they can email me if they have questions and wanting to learn more about it. Happy to set up meetings to make sure that people feel comfortable participating in any manner that they can volunteering with us. Um , we have a social media committee, so we're always looking at partnering with industry to use the same hashtags like I love my plant job or you know, green careers as you're posting. Again, we have to use hashtags that are gonna get us in front of young people. Um , and this social media committee, we meet once a month for an hour brainstorming, Hey , what can we be doing to highlight the different careers in the industry Always and in different manners. Um, we can always use the support of representatives at conferences. Like if you're going to a conference, can you do a session about seizure future? Can you host a networking event? You know, just be our ambassador wherever you are so that more people know we are here available and wanting to help them. Um, and then a lot of the times we also get students that are wanting to talk to a professional about their career, their pathway, how they get there. Um, so that's more a informal conversation, you know, if anyone of your listeners is up for being kind of like, it's not necessarily a mentor but just a champion that will talk to mm-hmm . <affirmative> , a student about their career path. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> love to get them on board with that as well.

Speaker 4 25:03

Do you have like a pro promo video that we flower click could share on our social media, or at least in our members' private social media group to start introducing them. Hey, you know, do you guys know about this?

Speaker 1 25:18

So we do have a few videos. We actually , um, and I'll send you the link to this as well, have very short like 42nd videos to talk about the power of plants and flowers in the economy with perfume, fashion sports. So those are some of those tools that I spoke about earlier that industry can use. So if you can like show one of our resources every now and then so they industry can see it, I think that will be helpful . And then thinking about how they can then use it in reaching out. Yeah.

Speaker 5 25:48

It's funny because you think about, this started in 2014. 14 and now it's almost 10 years later and we're just really the last few years have you even heard about it? Exactly . So, you know , it's really while to build all that momentum and, and that's hopefully will help strengthen our industry. Cause you're doing this now and you know, in 10 years we're gonna have just like a huge strong industry with a lot of people. Like, hey, this is a great industry to be in.

Speaker 1 26:20

Absolutely. Yeah . Absolutely. The first few years of C Future was really creating all those resources on the website. We have over a hundred different career profiles that talk about the career salary relating to professional organizations. And then there's a YouTube channel that talks about like the day in a life of that career. Wow . We list industry scholarships and internships. We have an interactive map that shows all of the two year and four year plant science degrees across the country. The idea is that we wanna make it as easy as possible for students and parents to come into the industry. A lot of parents think that this industry is not professional, you don't have professional growth and that you can make money. Right . So we are trying to do our best to share with the world that that's not the case.

Speaker 5 27:09

Love that.

Speaker 4 27:11

So they can find all of those videos on c future.org. Is that your website?

Speaker 1 27:18

So we have a few websites and we have a c future.org. That's where you can find the career profiles, the scholarship information, internship, the map, and the green career week.

Speaker 4 27:29

Okay .

Speaker 1 27:30

The, we have a YouTube channel for the YouTube videos where you can download them from and use them, link to them , um, as needed. Okay . And then we have a website that is kind of get catered a little bit more towards youth development , um, youth leaders, teachers, students. That one is a little bit more colorful, more graphic. And then there we have a plant power quiz. So the idea is that a student or anyone really can take a quiz and based on their interests, it will give you a short list of careers that you might consider. Um , you know, we know that students Yeah, I'll , it's, it's so fun. It's , it takes about

Speaker 4 28:13

A minute. What's that ? The

Speaker 1 28:14

Website , that's the , we are bloom.org .

Speaker 4 28:17

We are bloom. Okay .

Speaker 1 28:19

So ask you a few questions. You wanna be inside or outside, how would you get there? What do you prefer? Just a few questions to gather your personal interests and then based on that, it's gonna then give you a persona you would match and a short list of careers you might be interested in. Um , so if you're someone that says, I'm artsy , I'm creative floor design is one of the careers that, that comes up for that. Um , but then all of those careers then link back to the long list so students can see, oh wow. There's even more that I can consider. Um , just again , opening the eyes of how complex and how many opportunities are in this industry.

Speaker 4 28:57

Right. I think I'm gonna take the quiz, Wanda , to see what I'm need

Speaker 5 29:01

To be . Yeah , exactly . I think you should, Laurie , I'm

Speaker 4 29:04

Excited . Maybe We'll , tell me what I'm fu

Speaker 5 29:06

Doing . Great information, Jasmine . I mean, so , um, eyeopening to me, I know Laurie and I we're just excited about meeting you and learning more. So now that we can share that with others that we come in contact, obviously the podcast, but even when we're talking with our clickers, you know, we'll definitely with our network and and beyond, we'll do whatever we can to really promote the industry, because I've been in it since I was 14 and there's nothing like it <laugh> . That's to say

Speaker 1 29:36

<laugh> . And that's what I've heard. You know, people, once you come, you don't leave, you might move around. Right . But you're so happy in what you're doing, you're so fulfilled personally that you stay. And I mean that, that alone for this next generation is very important. You know , they're asking questions about sustainability, about company culture and about that personal fulfillment and again, what better industry than this industry.

Speaker 5 30:03

Love it.

Speaker 4 30:04

This quiz is awesome. It is perfect for middle school high schoolers. As far as the graphics on it. I'll probably take it five or six times to see what <laugh> .

Speaker 1 30:16

Right . And that's what we tell people and take it several times to see what are the varieties.

Speaker 5 30:21

Is there anything else that you wanna share? I , I think you covered it all, but I just wanna make sure that there's nothing else that you know, you've missed that you think is important for us to , uh, pass on. Yeah.

Speaker 1 30:31

Um , just really wanted the listeners to know that, you know, engage with us on whatever level it might be, whether it's interacting with us on social media or seeing how you can help every now and then connect with us. Right. We really need the support of the industry to do everything that , uh, we need to do. That's

Speaker 5 30:50

Great.

Speaker 4 30:51

We just appreciate you taking time outta your busy day to meet with us and share.

Speaker 1 30:58

Thank you. Happy to be here.

Speaker 6 31:00

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast. We hope you enjoyed spending time with us because we enjoy spending time with you. If you did, make sure you hit that subscribe button or add the business and pleasure of flowers to your Google Morning routine or your flash briefing on Alexa. We look forward to seeing you next week,

Speaker 5 31:22

So please come back and join us and

Speaker 7 31:24

Discover how a bit of knowledge and one small change in your mindset can take you to new levels in your life and business .