How Urban Agriculture projects can offer supportive volunteer and employment training options
By David Schumaker
Published in September 2016
Over the last year, The Cultivation Project (TCP) operated within the Hacienda Sarria Market Garden (HSMG) and GROW Greenhouse to strengthen volunteer involvement. In particular, our goal was to reach out to people who face challenges to volunteering and employment. This is no small task. Garden staff and interns wear many hats. They are at once farmers, entrepreneurs, customer liaisons, problem-solvers, foodies, couriers, teachers and community builders. As a result, we are often limited by time, personnel and structure. This year’s project gave us the resources to expand all three.
Three Strategies
When we started, we had two main strategies for The Cultivation Project. First, we wanted to deepen our relationships with current volunteers, many of whom work with us season after season. We benefit tremendously from their presence, and we wanted to know how they benefitted from their experience in the garden. In this group, we wanted to expand our partnerships with people with disabilities, especially those connected with Extend-a-Family (EAF) and WALES. In addition, we were thankful for our ongoing relationship with House of Friendship programs and with a diverse array of community organizations that support those living with physical or mental health challenges. Second, we worked with the Community Mental Health Association of Waterloo Wellington (CMHA) to build connections with people supported through CMHA and Drug Treatment Court (DTC).
Initial connections with CMHA and DTC were positive, and we see tremendous potential for the future. We realize, though, that we need more time for this kind of partnership to be incorporated into what CMHA and DTC are already doing.
We saw the most progress with our current TWC contacts and connections with EAF and WALES. Over the course of the year, we hosted more than thirty TCP volunteers who worked with us for varying amounts of time. Of those connected with our project, 95% face significant challenges to either volunteering or employment, and 77% have professional supports. For all volunteers, we listened closely to their reasons for joining us. Many were looking for welcoming spaces to engage in the community. Others recognized the health benefits of gardening, and so joined us to enhance their wellness. Some saw their time in the garden as a great way to learn transferrable job skills, while other appreciated the chance to learn to garden formally through our Market Gardening Certificate Program or informally through day-to-day experience.
Growth
Over the year, we enjoyed seeing growth not only in our plants but also in our volunteers. Through ongoing conversations, weekly observations, interviews and a survey, we noticed how gardeners developed confidence and increased their skills. For those with a goal of community engagement, 83% demonstrated improvement. One volunteer was quite honest that she needed a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Building relationships at the garden and taking on responsibilities helps her reach that goal. More than one person commented on the hospitality of garden staff and interns: “I always feel warmly greeted when I come in.” And others noticed the inclusiveness of the space at the garden, “everybody’s equal. I appreciate the values of collaboration and community. Everybody has something special to bring to the garden.” One way we encouraged engagement was by inviting people to adopt a garden bed. For those who did, we noticed that gardener enthusiasm and vegetable yields were higher and weed pressure was lower.
For those with a goal of wellness, 63% demonstrated improvement. One of our long time volunteers deepened her commitment to the garden (increasing from one day a week to two) and was able to articulate how she benefited emotionally from her care of the plants: “I benefit from the garden because it gives me purpose; relaxes and energizes me; gives me peace; practice building relationships; satisfies my need for physicality (hard work); improving gardening knowledge and skills.” Another person echoed this sentiment: “I benefit emotionally; I love working outside with the herbs, especially planting. It’s very calming.”
89 percent of those who wanted to learn job skills showed improvement, and we connected volunteers to TWC counselors to further support them in their employment goals. One project volunteer who has grown tremendously in work habits and attitudes like punctuality, self-confidence and asking for help when necessary noted that being at the greenhouse “has expanded the possibilities of things I can do.”
Finally, for those with a goal of completing the Hacienda Sarria Market Gardening Certificate Program, 75% of those who began finished the course and earned their certificate. One participant wrote that he liked the feeling of “being in a team, accomplishing something together.”
Relationships
Relationships were a consistent factor in the growth of program volunteers. Garden staff and interns desired to build a welcoming space and worked hard to cultivate both vegetable plots and personal connections. Through relationships we were open to the uniqueness of each person, and met them where they were. Each person was intentionally and personally invited into the activities of a community garden where staff, interns, and volunteers work toward a common purpose. We strive to trust each gardener for the gifts each brings, and valued the contributions offered. The volunteers responded to this personalized invitation to relationship. They did not have to change themselves to belong. Instead, they were welcomed as they were, helping to create a safe space in the gardens. Ideally, volunteers came knowing that they need not earn their place, or prove their worth. Reaching out with this kind of hospitality created a community of belonging. One garden volunteer, for example, saw the other gardeners as his “people.”
We invited gardeners to consider their own goals and skills, but prioritized relationships above all. The positive nature of the encounters fostered trust and a mutuality that drew in people who are vulnerable or are often left out because of the complexities of their life situation. Inevitably conflicts arise and miscommunications happen. But in most cases where authentic relationships were properly nurtured, we were able to resolve the tensions. After the resolution of one difficult encounter, a volunteer summarized the situation well, “this is how community happens.” Our approach required committing and investing in each person without expectation of reciprocity. Building a community of belonging in this way puts the person in the centre. We are far from perfect, but we were privileged to be a place where people felt they were welcomed, where they were invited to share experiences, and where we desired to have authentic interactions.
In addition to personal connections, we worked hard to teach effective gardening principles and skills. This season garden staff and interns built a Market Gardening Certificate Program that introduced essential practices through weekly workshops. Staff and interns facilitated the training after attending a course of their own on the importance of diverse teaching/learning styles.
With the first year of workshops under our belt, we are confident that other community members will be attracted to the certificate program as a way to enhance their own home gardening, improve their wellness, learn transferrable job skills, or even start a career in market gardening.
In the meantime, we are working on ways to incorporate what we learned from our workshops into our daily encounters in the field.
