Petersburg Is Growing
Children learning hands-on at Melanin Magic School

Grown by Youth · Rooted in Petersburg · Ages 5–12

Melanin Magic School.

Our flagship youth experience for ages 5–12 — an immersive, farm-based journey of food, wellness, culture, and leadership. Children grow and prepare healthy food, move their bodies on the land, practice mindfulness, and connect to their heritage and their own potential.

Enroll (pay what you can) →Sponsor a Seat

A Day at Melanin Magic

Soil, story, and self.

Every day braids urban agriculture with Black history, mindfulness, movement, and culinary tradition. Each week culminates in a trip to Washington, DC — and children earn as they learn through our Earn to Learn program.

  • B.A.G. & LibationsEvery day opens with breathwork, affirmation, gratitude, and honoring the ancestors.
  • Farm Chores & Garden BedsMorning chores plus each Little Light's own adopted garden bed.
  • Regenerative AgricultureHands-on learning in the soil — growing and preparing healthy food.
  • Forest BathingMoving their bodies and settling their minds on a Petersburg trail.
  • Communal MealA plant-based meal grown, prepared, and shared together.
  • Art, Financial Literacy & ChessAfternoons of creativity, money wisdom, and strategy.
Little Lights preparing a plant-based communal meal

Seasonal Intensives

Spring Break and Summer.

Spring Break

Spring Break Intensive

A week-long immersive while school is out — seed, soil, and self-knowing.

Summer

Summer Intensive

The full Melanin Magic experience — harvest rituals, wellness, and creative play.

Session dates are announced each season — join the enrollment list below to be notified first.

A Little Light tending their adopted garden bed
A young grower working on an art piece
A smiling young grower holding a farm rabbit

Pay-What-You-Can Seat Model

No child is ever turned away.

Every seat has a real value — approximately $1,500, covering meals, materials, transportation, and programming. Families contribute what they can; sponsors and grants cover the rest. That's not charity — it's the village raising its own.

Enroll (pay what you can)Sponsor a Seat →

S.T.R.E.A.M. Scholarship

Wisdom and knowledge for youth ages 6–18

Greater Petersburg Area S.T.R.E.A.M. Scholarship

Our gift to the community — activities for youth ages 6–18 that cultivate wisdom and impart knowledge about our world through science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, and math.

The S.T.R.E.A.M. Scholarship connects with Melanin Magic School and Little Lights Pathways, weaving exploration across disciplines into seasonal youth programming across the Greater Petersburg area.

  • Youth ages 6–18 across the Greater Petersburg area
  • S.T.R.E.A.M. activities woven into seasonal programming
  • Connects with Melanin Magic School and Little Lights Pathways
Enroll a Little Light →

Enroll · Pay What You Can

Send a Little Light.

Tell us about your Little Light and we'll follow up with seasonal dates, the pay-what-you-can seat process, and next steps. No family is ever turned away.

Prefer to hold a seat now? Sponsor a Seat or complete all nine FUNctions on the Farm to earn a scholarship.