Teens earn while they learn at local Certified Farmers’ Markets in Citrus Heights and Carmichael

Chelsea uses her sales skills working for Mt. Moriah

Alex & CA Pistachios

While shopping the new Farmers’ Markets at the Sunrise Mall on Saturday and at the Carmichael Park on Sunday, both open from 8-1, it is not difficult to notice the many “red-shirted” teenagers hard at work behind the booths alongside the farmers and vendors who sell their produce and products at these weekly markets.   These young people are all students of a youth entrepreneurship program offered through BeMoneySmartUSA, a local non-profit who organizes and manages both of the farmers’ markets.  The venues provide opportunities for youth to participate in the organization’s “Rent-A-Teen” program to work jobs in communication, hospitality, marketing, media, journalism, event coordination, administration, and sales.  Students applying for these jobs are required to complete a minimum of 10-12 hours of financial and business training through the non-profit’s FREE education programs.  Once the students have completed the courses, they have the opportunity to apply for job positions offered at the markets. 

“When we started this program last year in Carmichael with our first Certified Farmers’ Market located at the San Juan Center on the corner of San Juan and Fair Oaks Boulevard, we had only fifteen farmer/vendors with ten teens working.  In less than one year we have opened three Certified Farmers’ Markets, providing jobs for over forty-five teens,” proudly states Don Hall, co-founder and CFO of BeMoneySmartUSA.

With Sacramento unemployment at a rate of 12.7% and, according to U.S. News, the area being the third worst place to look for a job in the country, it is extremely difficult for anyone to find a job let alone teens with little to no experience.  BeMoneySmartUSA offers programs that help teach young people the skills they need to “stand out” in the work place, be creative, think critically, and to develop skills necessary to succeed in the system.  They learn this through the hands-on work experience they get at the markets.  “Much like the teaching hospitals that operate as a business while teaching medical students, we run a teaching business, where our students continue to learn while on the job and receive lessons each week that they have to be prepared to discuss and practice,” shares Marie Hall, Executive Director of BeMoneySmartUSA. 

“What makes this market so unique is the fact that it not only provides a great service to the community and an opportunity for the farmers and vendors to sell their products, but it also provides a safe and healthy venue where young people can work, learn, and connect with their community,” explains Twyla Teitzel, BeMoneySmartUSA Market Manager for Sunrise Mall. 

BeMoneySmartUSA  works with local schools, churches, and youth groups to offer on-site personal finance and business education workshops, year-long elective semester programs, weekend and special event speaking engagements, and independent public workshops and camps.  Many of the programs are offered for free to local area youth. 

Teens that are hired to join the “Rent-A-Teen” program are trained to work in several different job positions to hone in on their skills and then be placed with farmers or vendors who need additional personnel.  In many cases, students who work with farmers and vendors become an asset as their skills help improve the overall sales for the farmers and vendors they work for.  Ou Saechao, a local strawberry farmer, had trouble selling all of his strawberries at the market, but soon after hiring a teen to help him with taste-testing and sales, he has been selling out every single week at both markets.

As the BeMoneySmartUSA Farmers’ Markets continue to grow in both locations with 70+ farmers and specialty food vendors at Sunrise and 55+ at Carmichael Park,  patrons and customers have access to a large variety of purchasing options while also creating more education and job opportunities for local teens.  As you shop the market and notice the teens, know that your patronage is supporting farmers, the community, and local youth.  The markets are open year-round at Sunrise Mall on Saturdays from 8-1 and at the Carmichael Park on Sundays from 8-1, with more markets opening up very soon. 

For more information on BeMoneySmartUSA Farmers’ Markets and youth programs:  www.bemoneysmartusa.org or by email at info@bemoneysmartusa.org. Public workshops will begin again in February; free registration is available on the website.