Tools to build a sustainable garden education program at your school
Information: We are excited to offer our 35 hour School Garden Coordinator Certificate Training program to share best practices for building, using and maintaining school and youth food gardening programs. By the end of this training, you will have knowledge, skills and resources to implement and maintain an edible school garden project built on a foundation of broad community involvement and support. As a trained certified Garden Coordinator, you will be equipped to support long-lasting edible school/youth garden projects within the region and expand the capacity of the community to provide food garden-based education to children. This training has a focus on elementary school/youth programs, but can be adapted by those who work with middle or high school aged students. This training is geared for both those who have experience with school/youth gardens and those who are new to the field. We use a mix of classroom lectures, hands-on demos, group discussions and site visits to various learning gardens to generate new ideas and practical skills.
Sessions cover:
- Historic Context of School Gardens / Farm to School
- Community Organizing and engaging diverse school communities
- Developing a School Garden Master Plan
- Fundraising and Resource Development
- Volunteer Management
- Teaching Youth Effectively/ Class Management in an Outdoor Setting
- Garden-Based Activities and Curriculum Connections
- Garden to Cafeteria
- Garden Infrastructure
- Basic Gardening Skills and Planting Plans
- Program Evaluation
- School district policies on school garden installation & garden to cafeteria guidelines
Dates: June 15-19, 2020
Location: TBD in inner Portland
Agenda: Sample agenda from last summer: SGCCT Summer 19 Agenda
Registration: Tuition is $450.
If you can’t make it this year, but want to be notified of future trainings, please add your name to this list.
Scholarships: We know that the school garden movement is stronger when we have a diversity of identities, backgrounds, and perspectives collaborating together towards shared goals. The scholarship application period will open soon. Last year, we had 35 scholarship applicants for 4 spots.
Certificate requirements: Participants must attend 80% of the training (or 28 hours) to receive certificate.
What people are saying:
“This training reinforced to me that the school garden can be used as a tool for multiple and interdisciplinary functions (academics, food system, social & ecojustice) not one is more important than the other but can be woven together to become an extremely inclusive and dynamic learning/living space.” – 2018 SGCCT Participant
“It was both inspirational (speakers and participants) and practical.” – 2018 SGCCT Participant
“Everyone was so professional yet personable. Definitely leaders and trail blazers in the movement.” – 2018 SGCCT Participant
“[The most valuable parts were] meeting professionals doing the same work at schools, getting new ideas for training facilitation, seeing awesome and diverse garden sites and hearing from experts in the community.” – 2018 SGCCT Participant
“All of it was extremely valuable — can’t wait to get back to implement all the awesome information, ideas, etc.” – 2018 SGCCT Participant
If you have questions, contact Youth Grow Program Director, Anna Garwood (anna@growing-gardens.org).
