Programs
Youth Grow
Portland Farm and Garden Educators Network
The Portland Farm and Garden Educators Network (PFGEN) is an informal network of educators, teachers, volunteers, parents, non-profit staff and others who use gardens and farms to teach children about the environment, food systems, nutrition, science and other topics.
How to Connect
Listserve
PFGEN has an active Googlegroup listserve for sharing relevant local resources such as grant opportunities, trainings, job posts, volunteer opportunities, donated materials, etc. You can join the group and also search past messages in the forum: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/pfgen
Gathering
We have periodic gatherings where we can meet in person, exchange ideas and help further our collective efforts. Join the listserve to receive an invitation to the next gathering.
We also have an active Facebook group. Feel free to share pictures from your school gardens, ask questions or point others to local resources.
Resource Sharing
At the last PFGEN gathering, we collected our favorite resources, such as curriculum, toolkits and links. Feel free to add resources to this spreadsheet
A hub for the state
Growing Gardens is the Hub for the Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network (OFSSGN). As such, feel free to reach out with questions on school gardens. We offer free 30 minute consultations for school garden practitioners in the Portland area and other resources. Check out this summary of PFGEN resources. Contact anna@growing-gardens.org. You can also join the state-wide OFSSGN listserve to hear about grants, resources, and conferences: oregonfarmtoschool.org
Regional Study
In 2016, Growing Gardens undertook a regional School Garden Assessment, with support from East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, which gave us a panorama of school gardens in our region, including contacts at each school. Please see the full report here: SchoolGardenSurvey-Update 3.17
