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2023 sHARED eDUCATION gARDEN
We are so excited to launch our newest garden space at the Sycamore Community Garden during our 2023 growing season!
This garden installment primarily focuses on native, medicinal, and culturally relevant crops that will thrive in SCG's growing environment. We also have dedicated space in this garden for plants that are important to the Abenaki people.
The purpose of this initiative is to provide a communal space where groups from diverse backgrounds (current gardeners, local community members, volunteers, at-risk youth, field experts, environmentalists, students and educators) can collaborate in this garden space. We are eager to use this space for a multitude of educational purposes and to build upon our community partnerships.
At Sycamore Community Garden we continue to excel at meeting part of our existing mission in providing access to food security for low-income and/or refugee populations in the greater Concord area. We are also proud that through SCG our local gardeners are able to have opportunities to find meaning in gardening through local agricultural means. Despite this, our newest garden space addition at SCG will enhance our work to the next level.
This shared educational garden will provide a space to celebrate diversity and tear down the walls of supposed differences. In order to fully accomplish our mission statement, we need a shared garden space that will allow for interactions amongst groups that otherwise would not have the opportunity or necessity to interact with each other.
The educational approach of this garden will not be a top-down approach, but rather, geared to empower individual gardeners to self-direct and lead the way in a multitude of gardening aspects. We want to support all gardeners to have a true sense of agency, and to encourage those who may not traditionally have leadership roles whether due to language barriers, socio-economic status, or lack of a degree. Everyone has an important role at SCG, and we all can learn from one another.
By the end of August 2023, we will have hosted 3 guest speaker series events, with two of these workshops being led by SCG gardeners themselves! These unique, tailored workshops have been provided throughout the growing season. This guest speaker series will be open to any current gardeners that are interested in sharing from their own personal experience and wisdom on the topics of medicinal plants, ethnic crops, and/or agricultural methods. We want to showcase everyone’s unique talents whether it be in the realm of sustainable agriculture, culinary arts, musician arts, and more.
In order to further support the sustainability and growth of this project, SCG provides weekly and volunteer volunteer opportunities for community members to become more involved in this project. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign here. Our volunteer days will highlight cultural varieties of food crops, native and pollinator species as well as sustainable farming practices. At-risk youth volunteer on a bi-weekly basis throughout the school year, alongside other volunteers and friends of Sycamore.
It is our hope that providing space for our local community members to gather on volunteer days, attend our hands-on workshop series, and be present at our Harvest Celebration this Autumn will continue to strengthen community ties and break down any previous barriers. By implementing our Shared Learning Garden, we will better reach our mission, which is committed to increasing cultural understanding as well as demonstrating the benefits of environmentally sound, sustainable agriculture.
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We are looking forward to this sustainable growth opportunity at SCG to further reach our mission, expand our current networking and collaborative efforts, and continue to learn new skills alongside our SCG community!
We hope to welcome you all at the garden this year!
Please click here to read the latest news post about our new Shared Educational Garden.
Many thanks,
Kaylin (Manager)