Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney, Australia

Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW

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Youth Community Greening

An environmental education program targeting disadvantaged urban and rural youth

Significance of Youth Community Greening

Gardening gives pleasure; it nurtures the soul; calms the spirit; brings people together; it is a source of learning, creativity and health. Few young people today have the opportunity to explore gardening.

The rewards of gardening include food, beauty, flowers in the vase, a cleaner environment, personal fulfilment and enjoyment, new insights, learning and even careers. Gardening develops technical, interpersonal and management skills. By communicating about plants, friendships and useful relationships can be made. Gardening enhances social equity. 

Youth Community Greening targets disadvantaged urban and rural youth and gives them the time and special attention they need to improve their lives through the joys of gardening. It is well established that early intervention in addressing troubled lives produces long lasting benefits. To this end, engaging youth in gardening can have profound and lasting effects - social adjustment, purpose and reason for living, interest in learning and positive experiences of work.

This program will complement the well-established Community Greening initiative - an educational partnership between the Botanic Gardens Trust and NSW Department of Housing. Since 2000 it has developed 140 community gardening projects in public housing estates or on unused public land and has provided over 15,000 face-to-face encounters for training, learning and special events. Twenty-six community gardens in schools and 22 school garden clubs have been established proving the need for a targeted youth program with long-term outcomes similar to the parent program.

The Botanic Gardens Trust has a commitment to excellence and relevance in the community. Government funding and other revenue maintain day to day business and help fulfil the Trust’s key role in sustaining the environment through maintaining plant conservation and diversity.

Key features

Youth Community Greening is identifying for special attention the youth already involved in gardening projects with Community Greening and will give them the ongoing training and learning opportunities they cannot receive with the existing resources.

Youth Community Greening education officer will also work in new disadvantaged youth communities and tour western NSW each year working with rural communities. Arbor Day Gardens will be created in public schools each year. Youth Community Greening will link to the school curriculum, specifically to the NSW Government’s Sustainable Schools Program.

Philanthropy

The Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation sincerely thanks the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation and two anonymous benefactors for support received for 4 years to December 2011.

Youth-Community-Greening

Arbor Day garden planting

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