thinking big: gorgas garden
The project that I am proposing is called Gorgas Garden and will revive the abandoned community garden in Gorgas Park. Gorgas Park is Roxborough's unofficial community center. It is a five acre green space with a playground, gazebo, walking paths, manicured flower beds and beautiful old shade trees. A hugely popular spot for parents to bring their children, Gorgas Park provides a relatively safe and clean environment for visitors to enjoy nature and outdoor activities. After conducting simple needs assessment surveys with Roxborough residents, it was clear that an issue of concern was the need for more free, outdoor activities for children to keep them physically active and creatively stimulated. Physical activity and healthy eating are other issues that are of importance to the children and families of Roxborough. Surveyed residents showed initial support and interest in involving children of Roxborough in maintaining the community garden in Gorgas Park.
Who would be involved?
This project aims to involve children from Roxborough (elementary age up to high schoolers) of all abilities and genders as "gardeners." Adult volunteers, including responsible young adults, would be project leaders who oversee the work of the young gardeners. Local gardeners, horticulture enthusiasts, staff and volunteers from the Schuylkill Valley Nature Center and the Weavers Way Co-op farm at W. B. Saul Agricultural High School (both located in Roxborough) would offer necessary knowledge and insights regarding specifics such as what vegetables grow best in the area's soil, and what flowers and native plants enhance the natural beauty of the park and contribute to the health of the local ecosystem. Planning for Gorgas Garden, including starting seeds, preparing the plot of land, advertising the garden to amass community interest and support would start in the early Spring. Late Spring would be the season when the seed starters would be planted. Throughout the summer, small groups of children and adult volunteers would be scheduled to weed, prune, water and harvest the garden crops throughout the week and weekend. In the Fall, a garden clean-up would take place to prepare the plot for next year's planting season.
Undertaking the organization and implementation of a community project such as Gorgas Garden cannot be done by one person alone if it is to be sustainable and successful; support would be provided by a network of community members and volunteers. The skills and gifts of community members would be employed to provide a sense of citizenship and connectedness among neighbors, present leadership opportunities, and yield a sense of efficacy among participants (Borrup, 2011, p. 12). This project would receive a great deal of support from the volunteer-based organization, Friends of Gorgas Park, who currently monitors the health of the park, provides necessary upkeep and is responsible for community activity programming. Local businesses such as Stanley's Hardware would assist in providing tools and materials needed for Gorgas Garden and local business leaders would contribute monetarily to cover expenses.
How would your community be different after this project?
The goal of Gorgas Garden is to beautify Roxborough's most treasured and visited public green space by breathing life back into an abandoned garden plot. Participants of all ages would have a physical, hands-on learning experience in nature and would learn land stewardship and teamwork. Through involvement with Gorgas Garden, participants will have an increased understanding of how food is grown, will be educated on the benefits of nutrition, and will be introduced to the concept of sustainability and growing their own food. Community members will be inspired to start their own gardens after seeing the successful harvest from Gorgas Garden. Through this project, Gorgas Park's value to Roxborough would be increased and park visitors' experiences would be enhanced. The garden borders the Roxborough High School's property, and it would be great to involve interested students from the high school. It would connect them to the community, give them a sense of ownership and pride which would likely translate into pride for their school and its property.
How would you know if you were successful?
Desired outcomes of Gorgas Garden include a dedicated body of children participants and adult volunteers that are excited by their activism and are eager to garden the next year! An increased interest in gardening, land stewardship, beautification of Gorgas Park and Roxborough are aims of Gorgas Garden. A successful project would yield a garden that produces a harvest of plants, both edible and ornamental. Vegetables and fruits grown in the garden would be offered to participants to encourage healthy snacking and cooking. After involvement in the project, having children seek out healthy and nutritious snacks would also indicate a level of success. If the garden produced a bountiful harvest, the excess could be sold at the existing Farmers' Market held every Friday during the Summer at Gorgas Park. Sales from the garden-grown produce would Increased enrollment of new members of Friends of Gorgas Park would be another marker of success. A goal of this project is that it inspires involvement in other community projects in Roxborough.
Who would be involved?
This project aims to involve children from Roxborough (elementary age up to high schoolers) of all abilities and genders as "gardeners." Adult volunteers, including responsible young adults, would be project leaders who oversee the work of the young gardeners. Local gardeners, horticulture enthusiasts, staff and volunteers from the Schuylkill Valley Nature Center and the Weavers Way Co-op farm at W. B. Saul Agricultural High School (both located in Roxborough) would offer necessary knowledge and insights regarding specifics such as what vegetables grow best in the area's soil, and what flowers and native plants enhance the natural beauty of the park and contribute to the health of the local ecosystem. Planning for Gorgas Garden, including starting seeds, preparing the plot of land, advertising the garden to amass community interest and support would start in the early Spring. Late Spring would be the season when the seed starters would be planted. Throughout the summer, small groups of children and adult volunteers would be scheduled to weed, prune, water and harvest the garden crops throughout the week and weekend. In the Fall, a garden clean-up would take place to prepare the plot for next year's planting season.
Undertaking the organization and implementation of a community project such as Gorgas Garden cannot be done by one person alone if it is to be sustainable and successful; support would be provided by a network of community members and volunteers. The skills and gifts of community members would be employed to provide a sense of citizenship and connectedness among neighbors, present leadership opportunities, and yield a sense of efficacy among participants (Borrup, 2011, p. 12). This project would receive a great deal of support from the volunteer-based organization, Friends of Gorgas Park, who currently monitors the health of the park, provides necessary upkeep and is responsible for community activity programming. Local businesses such as Stanley's Hardware would assist in providing tools and materials needed for Gorgas Garden and local business leaders would contribute monetarily to cover expenses.
How would your community be different after this project?
The goal of Gorgas Garden is to beautify Roxborough's most treasured and visited public green space by breathing life back into an abandoned garden plot. Participants of all ages would have a physical, hands-on learning experience in nature and would learn land stewardship and teamwork. Through involvement with Gorgas Garden, participants will have an increased understanding of how food is grown, will be educated on the benefits of nutrition, and will be introduced to the concept of sustainability and growing their own food. Community members will be inspired to start their own gardens after seeing the successful harvest from Gorgas Garden. Through this project, Gorgas Park's value to Roxborough would be increased and park visitors' experiences would be enhanced. The garden borders the Roxborough High School's property, and it would be great to involve interested students from the high school. It would connect them to the community, give them a sense of ownership and pride which would likely translate into pride for their school and its property.
How would you know if you were successful?
Desired outcomes of Gorgas Garden include a dedicated body of children participants and adult volunteers that are excited by their activism and are eager to garden the next year! An increased interest in gardening, land stewardship, beautification of Gorgas Park and Roxborough are aims of Gorgas Garden. A successful project would yield a garden that produces a harvest of plants, both edible and ornamental. Vegetables and fruits grown in the garden would be offered to participants to encourage healthy snacking and cooking. After involvement in the project, having children seek out healthy and nutritious snacks would also indicate a level of success. If the garden produced a bountiful harvest, the excess could be sold at the existing Farmers' Market held every Friday during the Summer at Gorgas Park. Sales from the garden-grown produce would Increased enrollment of new members of Friends of Gorgas Park would be another marker of success. A goal of this project is that it inspires involvement in other community projects in Roxborough.
starting small
It is important to dream big and have a healthy sense of hope for change in Roxborough. Community transformation, however, can neither happen overnight, nor through success of one single community project.
5 small steps that I can take to start this project:
5 small steps that I can take to start this project:
- Talk to neighbors (especially neighbors who are parents of children This process will begin the Fall before the first planting season (to take place in the following Spring) by me and a few volunteers in our own neighborhoods to raise awareness and build social capital.
- Survey Gorgas Park visitors Have community volunteers and parents survey residents (of all ages) about their level of interest in being a volunteer (and in what capacity they are willing to be involved) and/or if there is an interest in having their children participate. This will occur throughout the Fall, Winter and Spring leading up to the planting season.
- Research grant opportunities Volunteers will search for grants to augment the financial reserves of Gorgas Garden so as to not fully rely on personal contributions. This will take place up to a year leading up to the planting season to secure a solid financial base for Gorgas Garden operations.
- Contact and collaborate with Friends of Gorgas Park (FOGP) members Volunteer leaders will work in harmony alongside the established FOGP organization to better understand the features, needs, visitors, and life of the park. Volunteers will attend FOGP meetings (whenever they are planned) to meet members and leadership body.
- Elicit donations and funding from stakeholders "Sell" the appeal of Gorgas Garden to community leaders and financial contributors to raise necessary money for project. This will be done up to a year before planting season by Gorgas Garden volunteers who possess savvy marketing abilities, and/or who have bridging and bonding social capital.
barriers to change
I foresee Gorgas Garden experiencing practical barriers such as lack of resources, personnel, and community involvement. Additionally, another difficulty that might have to be addressed in the future is maintaining this project in the long-term, especially if key members or volunteers leave, or priorities shift (Understand, Identify, and Overcome Barriers to Change, 2007, p. 9). I have identified potential barriers to change for Gorgas Gardens:
My community of Roxborough would greatly benefit from a creative community project that engages neighbors of all ages, draws support from local leaders and businesses, and utilizes our community's assets and strengths. It is my hope that this project will contribute to the wellness of the community, especially Roxborough's children. Children would work together with adult volunteers to take ownership of the garden. I think that the community would be receptive to the Gorgas Garden project proposal. So that a community experiences profound transformation, it must first admit the need and express a desire for change (Corbitt & Nix Early, 2003, p. 66). Lacking the will to change is a barrier that must be overcome and the desire for change must outweigh risks and barriers.
REFERENCES
Borrup, T. (2011). The creative community builder's handbook: how to transform communities using local assets, art, and culture. Saint Paul, Minn.: Fieldstone Alliance.
Corbitt, J. N. and Vivian Nix-Early. (2003). Taking it to the Streets: Using the Arts to Transform Your Community. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Understand, Identify, and Overcome Barriers to Change. (2007). How to Change Practice. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Retrieved July 29, 2014, from http://www.nice.org.uk/Media/Default/About/what-we-do/Into-practice/Support-for-service-improvement-and-audit/How-to-change-practice-barriers-to-change.pdf
REFERENCES
Borrup, T. (2011). The creative community builder's handbook: how to transform communities using local assets, art, and culture. Saint Paul, Minn.: Fieldstone Alliance.
Corbitt, J. N. and Vivian Nix-Early. (2003). Taking it to the Streets: Using the Arts to Transform Your Community. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Understand, Identify, and Overcome Barriers to Change. (2007). How to Change Practice. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Retrieved July 29, 2014, from http://www.nice.org.uk/Media/Default/About/what-we-do/Into-practice/Support-for-service-improvement-and-audit/How-to-change-practice-barriers-to-change.pdf