Day 17 - An Honest Critique of Growing Power

This is an entry I've wanted to write for a while. It's difficult to critique an organization that is doing such great things, especially after being here for only 2 weeks. I'm going to try and be as honest as I can instead of keeping these thoughts inside me. I always try to speak from my heart and that's exactly what I'm going to do now.

Ever since I arrived at Growing Power, I've tried my best to ask as many questions as possible to every single staff member. I've been asking about logistics, financials, greenhouse construction, plant-related questions and also how all the employees feel; are they feel satisfied working here. This is where it gets difficult for me to be honest... as it may mean that I'm never allowed back to Growing Power.

Some of the employees here are frustrated with how things are run. (My opinion should be taken with a grain of salt as my time here has been so short, just 2 weeks) What it seems like to me is that Growing Power is growing super-fast and the organization is in way over its head. Again, this is solely from a short-term intern's perspective - I'm not at all qualified to be stating these things as fact.

But here are a few examples of why I say this:

• A woman came in yesterday morning to Growing Power. She was a frustrated teacher from the Milwaukee Public Schools system who has been contacting Growing Power countless times for weeks. Everytime she calls and leaves a message, nobody gets back to her. And it's because nobody has time to.
  
• Growing Power got a $150,000 check recently from Chase to partner with the Milwaukee Public School system. This is great except the person who sets up these partnerships is completely swamped with on-site work. And she is also in charge of these outreach programs, which is way too much for one person to handle.
  
• Last Saturday there were about 40 volunteers who came to Growing Power... people from Americore and other local school groups. That was a larger than usual turnout, but every single day there are volunteers coming here to work for free. It's incredible and totally inspiring. Will Allen's name is getting so big that he is getting calls to speak at different places every single day. How can an organization with 40 staff members handle that kind of fame? Obviously, they need to grow. And that is what's happening right now; the organization is growing super fast and it's very hard to manage it all. Growing Power needs some outside help, but that's probably not going to happen...

Now, wouldn't you say this is a marketers dream come true? People calling you, coming to your place of business, reaching out to you... without hardly having to advertise. Will Allen is a brilliant marketer - it's obvious to anyone who observes how Growing Power is run.

I wrote something similar to all of this (including the employee frustration part) to Will. I tried my best not to come across as arrogant, knowing it all, egotistical... but I guess I did, being as I've only been here 2 weeks and he is the one who created it all. Will didn't exactly take my letter in a positive fashion. He was very unhappy about what I wrote, and he explained that to me personally for about 45 minutes. And I don't blame him - my letter probably did come across as an arrogant intern being here 2 weeks and thinking he knows how to change things for the better. But I truly feel that my concerns are valid.

Each staff member I spoke with had very similar concerns and therefore it made sense to bring these to the attention of Will. Everyone here knows that all decisions go through Will. He has been brilliant with just about everything thus far - please don't let me come off as bashing him in any way - but now his name is exploding in popularity and I just think he should be more open to some restructuring.

Maybe I should have waited to write this until Friday night, my last night here, but this is what I feel. I'm not trying to make Growing Power look bad, because they are doing so much good for the community, both local and global. They do have faults but this is by far the best best large-scale urban farm in the world, and that's why they are so popular. But unless things change, it will not stay this way. There needs to be more inside people who stay with Growing Power long-term, not just the two main managers and Will. People seem to burn-out from here in less than 2 years.

I don't know if I'll come back here for a full 3-month internship next fall/winter or summer. It's certainly a possibility and I would gladly stay that length of time now had I not committed myself to other things back home in Amherst. However, I can't see myself staying here long-term if the structure / unspecific job roles were to remain the same. I love Growing Power for what it has accomplished and how inspiring it is... but it can also be brought to other communities and have more organization (the other communities will not be as famous, but can be more successful locally.)

That's all for tonight - I feel like a weight has just be lifted off of my shoulders. I did not plan on writing this on my blog, only in my journal. But as I said, this is all coming from my heart, and everything I've said is my opinion and nobody elses. I love where I am, despite its imperfections, and I think Will Allen is a true planetary healer. He will go down in the history books as one of the greatest and most influential people of the 21st century. I feel so honored to be here, to have sat down with Will on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day to honor another healer who is a big reason why I'm here in Milwaukee and surrounded by diversity today.

I am so thankful for all of these experiences I've had thus far in life - I am truly blessed for the existence I was given and I try to remind myself of how fortunate I am each day. My purpose in this life is to be a healer and share what information I gather with those who's paths I cross. Thank you for reading and I hope you gained a little more about me from this entry. Goodnight everyone.

Ryan