Garden Classrooms

I am a Gardening Teacher based in Mexico City. I am currently working in Rootland School, where my program serves about 200 children aged 2 -12, from pre-K to upper elementary.

Mission

To provide a learning atmosphere that encourages students to recognize and learn about the deep connections that exist between humans and the natural systems that surround us, how they feed us and sustain us and how all life in our planet ultimately depends on them.

Program objectives

The Green Heart Project (GHP) is a 501©3 non-profit organization that builds school garden programs in the Charleston area. With a high value placed on health, education, and building community, GHP pairs local volunteer mentors and students to grow school gardens through in-school and after-school programs, primarily in schools serving low-income populations. In doing so, it connects students to local food systems, while reinforcing academic standards, building interpersonal skills and cultivating community.

Our mission is creating a community garden to promote sustainability and healthy lifestyles through learning, gardening, and collaborating resulting in responsible stewards of the planet. Our garden program involves 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students, teachers, administration, and parents. The garden is used by teachers of all subjects and they incorporate into their curriculum.

Seeing the nexus between education, health and economics, Dreaming Out Loud has developed an innovative approach that rebuilds urban, community-based food systems. We grow human capacity through workforce development and entrepreneurship training. We create physical infrastructure that supports urban food production and distribution. And we integrate opportunities in food production, processing, and distribution to connect community members to family-supporting livelihoods through cooperative social enterprise.