You’re invited to participate in our School Garden Mentorship program!

Overview

From January to October 2023, Farm to School BC is offering a free mentorship program for K-12 educators in BC who are in the initial stages of creating a school garden or are revitalizing an existing school garden. This mentorship program will provide valuable skills for school-based coordination that supports both the development of a robust school garden community and tips for garden maintenance.

This program includes a series of monthly after-school online workshops, facilitated discussion groups and the opportunity to join a supportive cohort of school garden educators from across the province.

About the Workshops

This program includes monthly after-school online workshops on Tuesdays facilitated by Farm to School BC staff who have a wealth of experience supporting school gardens. The workshops are targeted to discuss seasonal garden tasks and prepare participants for the month ahead in the garden (although specific timing of garden tasks will vary depending on your growing climate). Each workshop is designed to build off previous workshops, however, participants are encouraged to read the workshop descriptions and sign up for as many sessions as they like. See the list of workshops below.

Each workshop will include the following components:

An educational presentation by Farm to School BC staff
Project planning resources to support your school garden team
Profile of an inspiring school garden or a guest speaker

For those that attended last year, you might find some content is repeated, though it has been updated and may happen earlier than in 2022.

About the Discussion Groups

In the week following the webinar, Farm to School BC staff will host a facilitated discussion group offering the opportunity to dive deeper into topics that emerged during the webinar. The discussion groups are an opportunity to learn from other educators, network, share resources, ask questions, and celebrate successes. The discussion groups are open to new and seasoned school gardeners, and attendance at the webinar is not a prerequisite for joining the discussion groups.

Join an online community

Along with monthly workshops, educators are invited to join our online school garden listserv. Stay up to date with the mentorship program and share resources and ideas with other educators across BC!

Join the listserv

Stay up to date

Join our mailing list to receive updates about the School Garden Mentorship Program including upcoming webinars and resources.

Stay up to date

Workshops

Register for individual or several sessions at once on the sign-up form on Eventbrite. Note that workshops and discussion groups have separate sign-up forms.

Establishing a School Garden Culture
A garden committee contributes to a positive culture around the school garden, which reduces burnout, leads to a more sustainable garden, and helps build the school garden movement across the school district.

When: Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Time: 3:30-4:30 PM

Build a garden committee with clear goals
Define roles of your team
Consider school district policies
Explore types of school gardens

Discussion Group

When: Thursday, February 2, 2023
Time: 3:30-4:30 PM

Topic: Garden committee and navigating school policies

Designing Your School Garden and Crop Planning
School gardens vary widely in their designs, and should be thoughtfully designed to align with how students will use them. Plan what crops to grow and when to plant them.

When: Tuesday, February 14
Time: 3:30-4:30 PM

Guest speaker: Megan Zeni
Select plants to align with garden’s goals
Garden design: learn about garden location, bed shape, fencing, irrigation, pathways, accessibility, and more
Engage your class with garden design
How to choose what crops to grow and when and how to plant them (crop planning)

Discussion Group

When: Thursday, February 23
Time: 3:30-4:30 PM

Topic: School garden examples and types

Classroom Growing and Building the Garden
When: Tuesday, March 7
Time: 3:30-4:30 PM