Hi all: If you are in Brooklyn or know someone who is deep into gardening/ag literacy/fresh food/ composting, etc., he or she should check out the Brooklyn Urban Gardener Certificate program at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
I am a graduate of its first cohort...it was good then -- it's amazing now. OK, the coursework is incredible -- the networking, resources, project development, volunteer opportunities even better. This past Saturday, I spent three hours shovelling sand from a community garden on Coney Island that had been ravaged by Sandy. The plot owner was an 86-year-old man who was soooo grateful. Best time spent for me that day...helping a community garden survive. The deadline has been extended -- you should consider this opportunity. It's really something to be part of. See details below. Michele Brooklyn Urban Gardener (BUG) community volunteer certification Brooklyn Botanic Garden September 2013 January 2014 Free! Graduates volunteer 20 hours per year to maintain certification. Deadline to apply: June 7, 2013 Are you called to garden with your community? The Brooklyn Urban Gardener (BUG) program is an intensive, ten-session, ³train-the-trainer² course. A series of interconnected workshops and hands-on site visits this fall covers the basics of sustainable horticultural practices and how to advocate for the creation and protection of community green space in the face of intense urban development. BUG enrolls an intergenerational, multi-cultural mix of adults stemming from diverse economic and educational backgrounds who represent neighborhoods across Brooklyn. They bring with them varying levels of gardening expertise. >From mid-September to early November, participants learn about sustainable horticultural practices as well as methods to engage people in community greening projects Working in teams of 4-5 students, BUGs also partner with selected, Brooklyn-based organizations to complete real-life projects. To achieve certification, each BUG completes: the weekly required reading, approximately 35 hours of in-class coursework, team-project presentations, and 30 hours of project-based community service. Community project hours may extend into January of 2014 when the BUG candidates are expected to graduate. In-class time is designed to meet the needs of working people and is scheduled for eight Thursday evenings (6-9pm) and two weekend dates (to be determined). Project team members, along with their staff mentor, devise a workable community service schedule. Upon graduation, students are equipped with the resources to become part of a BBG BUG volunteer network to continue to assist community greening efforts throughout Brooklyn. To maintain certification, BUG volunteers donate a minimum of 20 hours each year to Brooklyn greening projects. Some of the topics that will be covered in the course include: city soils, basic composting, growing food, water-wise gardening, asset-based community building, conflict resolution, gardening with native plants, and streetscape gardening. To learn more about this free course and to download an application, visit http://www.bbg.org/greenbridge/bug For more information 718-623-7250. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://list.communitygarden.org/pipermail/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org/attachments/20130520/3d47f4f2/attachment.html> _______________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: http://list.communitygarden.org/mailman/listinfo/community_garden_list.communitygarden.org
