Episode 160: What is Seed Your Future? Interview with Executive Director Jazmin Albarran
Nobody tells a middle schooler "be a florist." Teacher, doctor, lawyer, police officer — sure. But the careers hiding inside horticulture rarely make the list, and the whole industry is feeling that labor shortage. In this episode, Vonda and Lori sit down with Jazmin Albarran, executive director of Seed Your Future, the movement to promote horticulture careers and inspire young people to pursue work with plants and flowers — and she explains exactly how a retail flower shop can help, starting with the schools in its own backyard.
From mental health to horticulture
Jazmin is quick to admit she has no horticulture background — her career was in mental health and youth development, with a love for systems, outreach, and operations. When the retiring executive director recruited her, her first reaction was fear: "I killed my aloes and my cactus." But the industry, she was promised, would teach her the plants; she would bring the business acumen and workforce-development expertise. It has proven a natural fit — she believes plants and flowers impact our physical, mental, and emotional health, and she calls this the most supportive, engaging, and friendly industry she has ever encountered.
What Seed Your Future actually is
Founded in 2014 by academia and industry volunteers worried about labor shortages at every level — from entry-level roles to plant breeders — Seed Your Future is a separate organization from SAF, though the two partner closely on workforce development. Before launching, the founders ran three phases of research: surveying the industry about why it can't find and keep labor, polling the public on perceptions of the green industry, and holding focus groups with children. That research pointed straight at middle school, the age when kids start thinking about who they want to be. Creative students assume art means painting or drawing; nobody has shown them floral design. And the industry needs far more than designers — HR, accounting, marketing, graphic design, even lawyers.
Reaching students through their teachers
Rather than going classroom to classroom, Seed Your Future targets the people already in front of students: teachers. Teachers are being asked to weave career diversity into their curriculum, but they're strapped for time — so the organization builds ready-made videos, activities, and curriculum and digital games teachers can drop into their existing plans. The ask for florists is simple: introduce yourself to a local teacher, offer to present, and hand over those resources. As Jazmin puts it, if every industry professional connected with two to five schools, the reach would be enormous.
Green Career Week: your step-by-step way in
The most common thing Jazmin heard her first year was "I want to connect with my local schools, but I don't know how." The answer is Green Career Week, a national campaign with a downloadable toolkit — step-by-step guidance on establishing the relationship, a template itinerary for a classroom visit or shop field trip, and even tips for reaching local media. The pilot week in October 2022 reached about 4,000 students; the next one runs February 27 through March 3. Vonda's vision: bring the color wheel into an art class, do a hands-on demo, and let your passion show — that's what engages young people. And if standing in front of eighth graders terrifies you, Lori suggests sending an employee who loves the interaction (several Flower Clique members employ retired teachers who can absolutely command a classroom). Beyond the exposure, you're building your own internal pipeline of future summer, holiday, and internship hires.
Tools worth sharing (and taking yourself)
Seed Your Future's website hosts over a hundred career profiles with salary information, industry scholarships and internships, and an interactive map of two- and four-year plant science programs. On wearebloom.org, the Plant Power Quiz takes about a minute: answer a few questions about your interests and it matches you with a persona and a short list of green careers — artsy and creative points straight to floral design. Lori took it live on the show and loved it. There are also Plant Power videos on YouTube covering the power of plants in perfume, fashion, and sports. The organization is 100 percent donor funded, and Jazmin welcomes help at any level: donations, joining the monthly social media committee, hosting a session at a conference, or simply being a "champion" willing to talk with a student about your career path.
Key takeaways
- Middle school is the prime age to introduce green careers — that's when kids start deciding who they want to be.
- Connect with two to five local schools; the Green Career Week toolkit gives you a step-by-step plan so you don't start from scratch.
- Classroom visits and shop field trips double as PR and a hiring pipeline for summer, holiday, and internship help.
- Not a public speaker? Send your most engaging team member — passion is what hooks students.
- Share Seed Your Future's quiz, videos, and career profiles so students (and their parents) see this is a professional industry with real growth.
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist