Ja'elon Dyson: My Backyard Gardens Experience

Hi, my name is Ja’elon Dyson. Okay, instead of doing a basic, subpar, and unoriginal introduction, I’m going to introduce myself again so you get the memo.  My name is Ja’elon Dyson, an apprentice at one of the best jobs anyone could ever have with the Backyard Gardens (BYG) program at Grow Greater Englewood (yes, I am biased!). I am a 19-year-old African-American from the South Side of Chicago (the Best Side, might I add) and I just graduated from the newly-built Englewood STEM High School. I plan on pursuing a bachelor’s degree in social work at Illinois State University starting in a few weeks!

I’ve been able to travel and spend time in all the different areas of Chicagoland, from my adolescence in Roseland, to living with my great-grandmother in Fernwood, to moving around through the North Side near beautiful Lake Michigan, and now residing in Englewood. It was a culture shock moving around these different areas at a young age, but it gave me the opportunity to experience different types of people and adapt to new surroundings. 

Discovering the BYG Program

I have been blessed with different opportunities through various programs I love like Upward Bound, After School Matters, and the BYG program. Before joining BYG, I was working a job I was not very fond of, and really felt like I needed a change of pace to grow and expand – not just my skills or vocabulary, but my presence as a human being in the Windy City.

I learned about Grow Greater Englewood and the BYG program through my Physics teacher, Mr. Cosgrove (Mr. C, if you ever see this, I am forever in your debt and I truly appreciate you seeing potential in me!). I was just a new transfer to Englewood STEM, so being quickly introduced to BYG was just a blessing. 

I’ll never forget the day of my interview because I met BYG leads Taryn and Keyante. I was extremely nervous, but I knew that I was ready and willing to do whatever it took to impress them. I must have done a good job because I was invited to join as an intern, and ever since BYG has taken off and grown into something so much bigger in the community than I could have imagined! 

Backyard Gardens works to connect with the community through agriculture and carpentry. What I love about my job is someone coming up to me or my coworkers and asking us what our job is; what is our main focus; and why do we love doing what we’re doing. My answer is, overall, we have great people who are teaching young people about growing healthy food, and we have the resources to get a lot done in our Englewood community. 

Before leaving to start college next month, I wanted to reflect and share what I’ve learned and what BYG has meant to me. For me, working with BYG has meant growing personally, building friendships, and helping my community. I’ll share more on all of this in my next few posts.