Our Team
Germaine Flentroy
Anthony Bradley
Help us support youth!
Our Story
A graduate of Grant high school Anthony Bradley’s community is Portland. The neighborhoods and schools where he knew everyone. Where his parents, grandparents, cousins all went to church nearby. Athletics was one place he found that if you worked hard it paid off. Developing players in college leagues, on Portland Youth Builders workforce training or working with school district’s homeless kids, he knows what to do, how to serve and love young people. He believes in family values and hard work.
In the winter of 2017 the homeless shelter was noisy, hot and crowded when he stopped to visit high school students. Germaine Flentroy, an old friend from Portland’s football community, was there connecting another family to services. A native of the south, Germaine had come to Portland as a youngster, became a Jefferson graduate and got to know the families, friends and businesses of north Portland. He got experience with youth gang issues from work with the House of Imoja and happened to be handling operations across the street at the Rosewood Initiative.
They quickly got to their observations about what was happening to kids and families moving to outer east Portland. Gentrification of their historically black neighborhoods had been finishing a final push. Residents were desperate to find more affordable housing.
The children and families were really impacted. So many basic needs were going unaddressed at home and school. And so it began. Basketball nights at the local gym, became game nights for families and barbecues in the park. Before long Anthony and Germain were working together to make sure the children had a place to play and grow and learn…
Safely using tools, making measurements using math and solving problems went in to the building of the garden boxes. One example of how Play Grow Learn has been engaging youth and adults in opportunities to work together. The partnership with Oregon Tradeswomen proved invaluable and with new project resources, more garden boxes can be built or other projects designed, to get practical ‘hands-on’ applied skill building.
There is no question, that Outer east Portland is a food desert. There are few grocery stores East of 82nd Avenue to Fairview. That scarcity limits access to fresh foods and makes produce expensive and hard to find. Play Grow Learn is investing in the conversation about access to healthy fresh food. Gardening stretches limited budgets while encouraging youth to get outside and learn gardening skills. Partnerships with Outgrowing Hunger have helped neighbors find plants and access larger spaces to garden. Working with a local Chef Curtis of A&B Infusions, Play Grow Learn families will have recipes trailered to season harvests and food box items.
Creating spaces for youth to connect with others who are interested to learn and try new things; we believe that is what makes life interesting and fun. Youth leaders work together to build free rolling garden boxes – applying teamwork, negotiation, communication and a sense of humor. Being able to gain skills, work together, and playfully joke around is an important way for everyone to relax and get to know each other.
The health and well-being, of our young people is many things. It is well planned and accessible activities like team sports, enrichment classes and recreation. It is learning about fitness, and health. Growing food for healthy eating, experiencing community and culture for wellness. Cooking classes with recipes for healthy cultural favorites. Fitness tests, bike rides and walking groups. It might be about becoming a young woman and learning how to navigate the world. A young men’s group where a positive sense of the future can be embraced. Reducing medical costs, drug and alcohol use and increasing health and wellness, while supporting access to health care is foundational to growing to one’s full potential, happy, healthy and hopeful!
Every dream begins with a first step. Play Grow Learn is working with youth and families help them take it. Classes on financial planning, banking and accessing credit are the core pieces of a stabile financial future. Young people need to understand student loans, buying cars, job training and all the adult work skills that will help them thrive in todays workforce. By building small teams of youth, training them together, encouraging them together we are increasing their confidence and stamina. Our vision includes training programs in technology, solar, drones and an array of green jobs. Mentors will help guide them, local employers will give them a chance, and together we will help youth and families find the support and stability to create the economic and financial future of their dreams.