Volunteer Opportunities with County Extension
There is a continually growing interest around the use of gardens as a vehicle for youth education across a variety of disciplines. Increasing numbers of public as well as private entities are developing and marketing materials, conducting research, providing support for, and outlining the benefits of gardening as an educational tool. Life Lab, the UCD Children’s Garden, county-based UCCE Master Gardeners, the use of other state’s Extension Services programs (e.g., New York, Arizona, Texas, Michigan), the American Horticultural Society, National Gardening Association, and UCCE Statewide Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program operate in numerous California counties. In addition, Delaine Eastin, the CA State Superintendent of Education has begun to implement her mission of “A Garden in Every School” through the development of three Regional Network Centers, whose goal is to reach the school-age youth population of 5.8 million.
Whether based in school, home, or community, gardens can be a powerful educational tool for science literacy, agricultural literacy, environmental awareness and responsibility, increasing knowledge about mathematics and nutrition, multicultural awareness and community development.
This workgroup has begun the process of coordinating the different avenues of work that is taking place throughout the state, developing methods of communication and networking for the different entities represented in the workgroup membership list, and providing several means for distributing resource information. In addition, the workgroup has continued to develop ongoing research projects in the various subareas for all of the different entities working within this focus.
Through five activities, this workgroup will address three of the 2000 Human Resource PPAC priority issues:
Priority Issue 1, Goal 2, Action 2.4: Improve the status and well-being of families and youth living in high risk environments by reviewing and disseminating research in human development that leads to developing, modifying, testing, and implementing educational programs and curricula that support families and youth such as developing parenting skills, building developmental assets in youth, and enhancing protective and resiliency factors in youth, families and communities.
Priority Issue 2, Goal 1, Action 1.2: Continue to develop appropriate intervention and educational models based on research that will facilitate improved nutritional and lifestyle practices of consumers.
Priority Issue 4, Goal 1, Action 1.2: Develop, modify, test, and implement environmental education programs to increase science-based environmental awareness.
Priority Issue 4, Goal 3, Action 3.1: Research, develop, modify, test, and implement agricultural literacy education programs and curricula for youth and targeted groups.
The workgroup will conduct five major activities:
1. Coordination: Garden-based Learning Workgroup Core-group Operations
2. Extending Knowledge; Training; Collaboration: Garden-based Learning Convocation II: Learning in the Real (Natural) World
3. Extending Knowledge; Training; Collaboration: Capital Region Forum on Garden-based Education
4. Research: Content analysis and case study of the Texas A&M Junior Master Gardener program as applied in El Dorado, Ventura and Marin counties.
5. Research: Examining post-secondary educational and employment impacts from low-income youth from participation in entrepreneurial school and community gardens
E. Workgroup Structure and Operational Procedures:
Marilyn Johns, 4-H Youth Dev./NFCS Advisor, Dan Desmond, State 4-H Program Director, and Ramona Carlos, Research Associate at the Center for 4-H Youth Development will co-chair the workgroup. Since the workgroup is so large (60 members and still growing), the established representative core workgroup will meet to provide an avenue of coordination and dialogue for workgroup efforts. The core group will also plan the second convocation of the large group. Core members will communicate through a list-serve already established. A part of the convocation will include reports from the five activities outlined for this year. Each activity focuses on one of the identified major areas: research, training, or communication. All workgroup members will communicate through the established list-serve for the workgroup.
Whether based in school, home, or community, gardens can be a powerful educational tool for science literacy, agricultural literacy, environmental awareness and responsibility, increasing knowledge about mathematics and nutrition, multicultural awareness and community development.
This workgroup has begun the process of coordinating the different avenues of work that is taking place throughout the state, developing methods of communication and networking for the different entities represented in the workgroup membership list, and providing several means for distributing resource information. In addition, the workgroup has continued to develop ongoing research projects in the various subareas for all of the different entities working within this focus.
Through five activities, this workgroup will address three of the 2000 Human Resource PPAC priority issues:
Priority Issue 1, Goal 2, Action 2.4: Improve the status and well-being of families and youth living in high risk environments by reviewing and disseminating research in human development that leads to developing, modifying, testing, and implementing educational programs and curricula that support families and youth such as developing parenting skills, building developmental assets in youth, and enhancing protective and resiliency factors in youth, families and communities.
Priority Issue 2, Goal 1, Action 1.2: Continue to develop appropriate intervention and educational models based on research that will facilitate improved nutritional and lifestyle practices of consumers.
Priority Issue 4, Goal 1, Action 1.2: Develop, modify, test, and implement environmental education programs to increase science-based environmental awareness.
Priority Issue 4, Goal 3, Action 3.1: Research, develop, modify, test, and implement agricultural literacy education programs and curricula for youth and targeted groups.
The workgroup will conduct five major activities:
1. Coordination: Garden-based Learning Workgroup Core-group Operations
2. Extending Knowledge; Training; Collaboration: Garden-based Learning Convocation II: Learning in the Real (Natural) World
3. Extending Knowledge; Training; Collaboration: Capital Region Forum on Garden-based Education
4. Research: Content analysis and case study of the Texas A&M Junior Master Gardener program as applied in El Dorado, Ventura and Marin counties.
5. Research: Examining post-secondary educational and employment impacts from low-income youth from participation in entrepreneurial school and community gardens
E. Workgroup Structure and Operational Procedures:
Marilyn Johns, 4-H Youth Dev./NFCS Advisor, Dan Desmond, State 4-H Program Director, and Ramona Carlos, Research Associate at the Center for 4-H Youth Development will co-chair the workgroup. Since the workgroup is so large (60 members and still growing), the established representative core workgroup will meet to provide an avenue of coordination and dialogue for workgroup efforts. The core group will also plan the second convocation of the large group. Core members will communicate through a list-serve already established. A part of the convocation will include reports from the five activities outlined for this year. Each activity focuses on one of the identified major areas: research, training, or communication. All workgroup members will communicate through the established list-serve for the workgroup.