Blog
Gardeneers Connects Kids with Nature and Community
Kids learn a lot about the world from their everyday surroundings. This is why it is critical to bring nature-based experiences to the spaces kids visit regularly, in addition to creating opportunities to kids to explore beyond their immediate environment. Gardeneers is one organization doing the work to connect kids with nature right in their neighborhoods and on their school grounds. Based in Chicago’s South Side and West Side neighborhoods, Gardeneers offers school and community garden programs that both support local food systems and help young people learn about themselves, the environment, and their communities through hands-on engagement.
Gardens are a rich educational environment and getting their hands in the dirt to grow food has a range of positive outcomes for kids. It helps them connect the dots to understand that many of the foods they eat come from plants, it supports an appreciation for how much work goes into producing food, and it emphasizes social-emotional lessons, like patience and seeing hard work pay off in the long-term. It also demonstrates that agriculture is an important part of the economy and local farms can cycle money back into their communities.
What makes Gardeneers effective is that staff design the gardens they create and the associated programs they run around the specific context in which they work. Part of Gardeneers’ programming includes helping kids understand the impact of redlining and other disinvestment policies on their local food systems today, as well as the history of migration that brought many of their families to Chicago from other parts of the U.S., as well as other countries. Many who relocated to the urban environment of Chicago experienced displacement from agricultural communities. Gardeneers helps kids become active participants in their food systems, both by growing their own food and understanding the many ways agriculture is connected to all facets of our society.
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In addition to grounding their work in the history and culture of Chicago’s South and West Sides, the staff at Gardeneers modify their designs to meet the specific needs of each individual school with whom they partner. Gardeneers pairs expertise with a commitment to listening. Before building a school garden, they research the community that school serves and work collaboratively with school administrators and teachers to ensure that the garden they create will be a good fit. Gardeneers staff also take the time to ask kids what plants they want to see to ensure that students can find foods they’re excited about in their garden. This means that some gardens grow tomatillos and others grow okra and collard greens. No two gardens or programs are identical, because each school and neighborhood has different needs.
This commitment to community engagement and robust local food systems is especially important now as grocery prices are on the rise and food and nutrition support programs are getting cut. Gardeneers is working at a critical intersection as they both meet the immediate food needs of families in Chicago and help build the next generation of leaders who understand the importance of being connected to their environment and their communities. NRF is proud to be part of what allows Gardeneers to do this essential work.