Community+Garden+Leadership+Workshop

For a garden to be successful -- you must

GROW THE RIGHT THINGS AT THE RIGHT TIME IN THE RIGHT SOIL!!

 Sizwe Herring opened the event with the [|Declaration of Interdependence]. It was inspiring to think of how we are connected to all of creation and how when we work together we can accomplish so much!

 Bobby pointed out that a garden is much more than just sustenance. The gardens in Atlanta have an important role in providing a place for fellowship and shared experiences in addition to all the other things that a garden does. He pointed to the fact that all gardens that he works with have an element of outreach connected with them.

[|Farmer Freddie Haddox] was one of the leaders as was

The training covered practices and strategies community organizers and neighbors can use to develop dynamic leaders and create strong gardening programs using a participatory approach to community building. Here are important links to puruse to help us make good decisions for our school - community garden. [|American Community Garden Association] [|Peoples Garden Initiative through the Department of Agriculture] [|Teraganix] company produces the micro-bacterial product to increase the ease with composting!

We were not one of the inter-generational projects chosen --- but we can still attend all the activities and learning opportunities offered by this grant!

Day 2 Gardening with others involves so many different components, so day two focused on the dynamics of having a successful garden. Conflict management presented briefly and talked about how gardening with kids can be very helpful in helping students gain self-respect and self-control as well as meaning and respect for elders. The Conflict resolution group sponsors a PPVP -- Personal Power Video Program in which students who are troubled produce videos in the garden --- to do just that. Conflict is a chance to communicate -- if we manage brain chemistry --- by BREATHING and then LISTENING to create an opportunity to understand the others position. Joanne Smyth of South Africa spoke next about a remarkable product that may solve our issues with composting. EM1 is a microbial product which when combined with unsulferated black strap molasses, hot top water and dry sawdust -- which can be scattered over any food waste--at no great depth --- when the 8 gallon bucket is filled -- it is placed in a dark place for two weeks and then can be used! After lunch we continued to explore resources available to help us and ways in which we may continue to develop our garden. Each group which attended the workshop received a Community Gardening Leaders Manual -- which will be in the library at Westemade!