Empowerment Community Garden

With the full support of the Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD), the Social Justice Learning Institute ( SJLI ), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing social justice within education though our academic, environmental and food justice initiatives works with local youth from Morningside High School to launch the city's first community garden. The Empowerment Community Garden, as a student-initiated student-run project, was launched by young men from the Black Male Youth Academy (BMYA) who's goals were to beautify the community, become civic leaders and build sustainable growth of organic foods in Inglewood, California.

The Empowerment Community Garden was designed to empower youth to take hold of their health and eating habits. Participating in the garden provides youth the opportunity to work alongside each other and a network of volunteers and mentors. The garden teaches youth about food and its origin while giving them the chance to learn how to plant, cultivate, and harvest their crops. By working with youth, local community members and city officials, we hope to expand our capacity and impact on City by providing fresh fruits and vegetables for local residents.

Beyond focusing on developing the garden, the project would effectively address the issues of environmental sustainability and local food systems. The Empowerment Garden would teach and practice bio-intensive agriculture, which is an organic and remarkably efficient technique for small-scale applications. Bio-intensive agriculture (BIA) creates flourishing gardens by maximizing the use of available resources and minimizing waste and expenditures. Sustainability and soil health are at the forefront of BIA. For example, BIA uses compost – a natural and balanced fertilizer – to replenish soil nutrients, resulting in healthy plants that are better able to resist pests and diseases. Close plant spacing, mulching, and deep soil preparation make the most of land and water resources. Natural pest/disease solutions and using positive plant relationships would replace chemical additives that could harm human and soil health. In addition to employing all of these components of BIA, the Empowerment Garden would implement other sustainable practices such as rainwater catchment and organic beekeeping.

Training and job experience in these innovative garden methodologies offer students critical skills for the job market. Another way the program would prepare participants for the job market is by giving participants a means to establish their credibility. For example, participants would work according to a set schedule, demonstrating the reliability of program participants to future employers.

GOALS OF THE PROJECT

The goals of the Empowerment Community Garden program include to:

• Provide participants with a source of income and an opportunity to accumulate savings.
• Build support networks and community for those involved in the project.
• Foster an environment that facilitates discussion and interaction between the students and the community at large, increasing understanding of the challenges faced by our youth today.
• Connect participants to a broad spectrum of social and medical services.
• Provide skills training, job experience, and resume building.
• Provide financial decision-making and management skills, encompassing savings, investments, and loans.
• Create the opportunity to maintain a productive lifestyle, giving participants the momentum needed to support their needs and build stability.
• Encourage the development of local food systems.
• Teach and promote methods of bio-intensive agriculture to program participants and the local community.
• Establish an employment network connecting program participants who have been trained in bio-intensive agriculture to Inglewood residents with home gardens.

EFFECT ON THE COMMUNITY

This program bridges the gap between homeowners and youth in City of Inglewood by fostering collaboration and an environment of inclusion. Rather than a traditional volunteer system of the server and the served, homeowners and youth work together with a common goal and a shared experience that encourages genuine discussion and understanding of the issues facing our communities. This connection initiates solution-oriented action.

The ways in which the Empowerment Garden would be linked directly to the community include: Inviting community members to lease or sponsor a plot in the garden. Creating a common space for community enjoyment and as a venue for public events. The location would include a serenity garden with a gazebo, benches, barbeque pit, and a medicinal garden. Providing garden training for the local community. This knowledge would encourage home gardens that would create a degree of independence from rising food prices. Furthermore, replacing lawn grass with home gardens spares excessive water, petroleum, and chemical use.

EFFECTS ON SCHOOLS

The Empowerment Garden would integrate the campuses and City of Inglewood through student internships, volunteer opportunities, and educational programs in the garden. Furthermore, the garden will provide students on campus with local and organic food options.

PROGRAM SUSTAINABILITY

Initially, the Empowerment Garden plans to employ student interns through the SJLI to manage and supervise the garden. This partnership between the Empowerment Garden and the SJLI would provide the garden with consistent support and competent management. In the long run, Empowerment Garden also plans to provide a stipend to one employee who would manage the garden on a full-time basis. After successfully participating in the program, Empowerment Garden would link participants with employment opportunities that utilize their newly acquired skills in both commercial and residential settings.

Furthermore, SJLI will establish a committee of comprised of representatives from Inglewood Parks and Recreation, the Redevelopment Agency and the local campuses with renewed and increased membership each year. Recognizing that committee members will graduate, the committee will ensure that the project and committee participation in the project continues beyond the next few years and is maintained as a permanent initiative. SJLI will hire a Garden Coordinator annually to oversee interns, volunteers, and program participants. The Garden Committee will manage fundraising initiatives and function as a consistently strong volunteer base for the garden.

GET INVOLVED

To become involved with our effort or to learn more, please contact our Gardens Coordinator Nicole Carter at ncarter@sjli-cp.org.