Semilla de Vida (Seed of Life), SPONSORED BY ASHEVILLE CREATIVE ARTS is a Latinx women- and youth-led grassroots initiative serving the Latinx and Afro-American communities to recover their ancestral agricultural knowledge and to build awareness about food justice, climate change, and mutual aid.

Semilla de Vida Huertos began with four people—three of them young leaders committed to their connection to our Mother Earth, increasing their knowledge of our ancestral agricultural and cultural practices and community building.

Today, our core team has grown to 12 people—7 of them youth.

We are growing. And now, we need your help to grow the leadership behind this movement.

This fundraiser will support two powerful opportunities for our team:

Professional development for our Founder and Director, Dulce Mirian Porras, through sponsoring her participation in the Community Food Systems Fellowship and its October 20–23 national gathering. This opportunity will strengthen her skills, knowledge, and networks and bring those resources directly back to Semilla de Vida and our community in Western NC.

Four young Semilla de Vida leaders will attend the People of the Americas for Peace, Democracy, Sovereignty, and Integration gathering in Uruguay December 1- 3. They will connect with movements from across the Americas working for climate justice, food sovereignty, cooperation, and community power. This gathering includes a field trip to Brazil to learn from various community initiatives that have been building a solidarity economy through cooperatives and supporting the environment, marginalized workers, and promoting the community's well-being. These young people have spent the past two years building their leadership through Semilla de Vida. Now they are ready to build grassroots power in our impacted communities by connecting to global movements for justice.

Your donation helps make that possible!

What your gift can do

$25 — Helps cover meals and local transportation for a young participant.

$50 — Supports learning materials and participation costs.

$100 — Helps provide travel support for one youth leader.

$250 — Helps cover lodging and travel expenses.

$500 — Invests deeply in the leadership development of one young person.

$1,000 — Helps send one youth leader to a transformative learning experience.

$2,500+ — Helps make it possible for our team to participate in these opportunities and bring the learning home.

Every contribution matters.

Because when you invest in one young leader, you are investing in the families, gardens, communities, and movements they will touch for years to come.

We believe our communities already hold the knowledge and wisdom needed to create change. Our job is to nurture that knowledge, create opportunities for leadership, and make sure young people have the resources to carry it forward.

Help us plant the seeds of leadership.

Help our young people connect with movements beyond our region.

Help Semilla de Vida grow a stronger, more connected, and more just future.

Donate today and help us reach our $10,000 goal.

Semilla de Vida Huertos — cultivating food, culture, leadership, and community power.

«Semilla de Vida» es una iniciativa de base liderada por mujeres y jóvenes latinx que trabaja al servicio de las comunidades latinx y afroamericanas para recuperar sus conocimientos agrícolas ancestrales y sensibilizar sobre la justicia alimentaria, el cambio climático y la ayuda mutua.

«Semilla de Vida Huertos» comenzó con cuatro personas, tres de ellas jóvenes líderes comprometidas con su conexión con nuestra Madre Tierra, con la ampliación de sus conocimientos sobre nuestras prácticas agrícolas y culturales ancestrales y con la construcción de la comunidad.

Hoy en día, nuestro equipo principal ha crecido hasta alcanzar las 12 personas, 7 de ellas jóvenes.

Estamos creciendo. Y ahora necesitamos tu ayuda para fortalecer el liderazgo que impulsa este movimiento.

Esta recaudación de fondos apoyará dos importantes oportunidades para nuestro equipo:

El desarrollo profesional de nuestra fundadora y directora, Dulce Mirian Porras, mediante el patrocinio de su participación en el programa «Community Food Systems Fellowship» y en su encuentro nacional del 20 al 23 de octubre. Esta oportunidad reforzará sus habilidades, conocimientos y redes de contactos, y permitirá que esos recursos reviertan directamente en Semilla de Vida y en nuestra comunidad del oeste de Carolina del Norte.

Cuatro jóvenes líderes de Semilla de Vida asistirán al encuentro «Pueblos de las Américas por la Paz, la Democracia, la Soberanía y la Integración», que tendrá lugar en Uruguay del 1 al 3 de diciembre. Allí establecerán contacto con movimientos de toda América que trabajan por la justicia climática, la soberanía alimentaria, la cooperación y el poder comunitario. Este encuentro incluye una visita de estudio a Brasil para aprender de diversas iniciativas comunitarias que han estado construyendo una economía solidaria

“Semilla de Vida” is a grassroots initiative led by Latinx women and youth that works to support Latinx and African American communities in reclaiming their ancestral agricultural knowledge and raising awareness about food justice, climate change, and mutual aid.