Dear Sean,
Get some of the folks who are going to be gardening with you and go through the process of creating a sign. Start off with a name, the fact that it has to be waterproof and be able to last until the next season. It doesn't have to be pretty, but it should be the community's. It's the spirit behind the sign and the community that you help build that will be key to your garden's survival. I've discovered that community gardens have more of a chance at survivabililty if gardeners are incorporated into the process at the inception. Many of us, throughout the country have shaken our heads at community gardens that have been started by a few well intentioned individuals and have died after the initial impulse, or because the folks who started it moved on. The sainted Liz Christy, who founded NYC Green Guerillas and is one of the remarkable women who propelled the NYC community garden movement in the early '70s (hint: there's a master's thesis there for somebody) believed that you work like hell to help community gardeners in the beginning, but that the momentum and energy to keep the garden going has to come from within the gardeners themselves. It's best to nuture this culture of self-reliance from the beginning. Gather your gardeners together and go on from there, even if there's no garden yet. I know that you've gone the website of the American Community Gardening Association and read everything (or should have). There's 25 years of the collected experience of community gardeners from all over the US and Canada - pick and choose what you believe will work for you - reinventing the wheel is unnecessary. <A HREF="http://www.communitygarden.org/";>American Community Gardening Association</A> This link <A HREF="http://www.communitygarden.org/pubs/starting.html";>ACGA: Starting a CG </A> , is essential reading. Also if your sponsoring organization wants your garden to be a success, I strongly recomment that they purchase a copy of a book that grew out of the ACGA's "From the Root's Up" program. "Growing Communities Curriculum: Community Building and Organizational Development through Community Gardening" By Jeamette Abi-Mader, Kendall Dunnigan and Kristen Markley - Ed. by Jeannette Abi-Nader & David Buckley. I am sorry to say that I only became aware of the "Growing Communities Curriculum" when I manned the ACGA tables last month at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Greenthumb gardener's conferences last month. It's quality and sound advice knocked my socks off - it's probably the best community organizing book I've seen anywhere - and the lessons included within are priceless. "GROWING COMMUNITIES PRINCIPLES: Engage and empower those affected by the garden at every stage of planning, building and managing the garden project. Build on community strengths and assets. Embrace and value human differences and diversity. Promote equity. Foster relationships among families, neighbors, and members of the larger community. Honor ecological systems and biodiversity. Foster environmental, community, and personal health and transformation. Promote active citizenship and political empowerment. Promote continuous community and personal learning by sharing experience and knowledge. Integrate community gardens with other community development strategies. Design for long-term success and the broadest possible impact." You can try to do this on your own, and many of us have, but this book will help you spend more time on "doing it" instead of "reinventing the wheel." Best wishes, Adam Honigman Volunteer, <A HREF="http://www.dahlias.net/";> </A>C<A HREF="http://www.clintoncommunitygarden.org/";>linton Community Garden</A> << Subj: [cg] CG Signs Date: 4/11/03 9:56:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Sean C. Gambrel) Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Community Garden List) Hi again everyone. First off, thanks to everyone for help with the rainwater collector issue. It now turns out that the City is gonig to give us a "Water Buffalo" for the summer, which is a rather unsightly large military-type trailer-tank, and beautifully painted camouflage. But I'm really not complaining at all, just being a little cynical - it will be a fine source of water for us!! So, perhaps the rainwater colelctor is still on the radar, but just for year 2 of the garden (I have enough to worry about already!). So, my next question is - does anyone have a picture of their garden sign handy that they could mail to me? I've collected a couple off the internet, but am hoping to get a little wider array for more inspiration. Thanks again for your help! Sean Sean Gambrel AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer Coastal Enterprises, Inc. P.O. Box 268 Wiscasset, ME 04578 (207) 882-7552 ext. 185 [EMAIL PROTECTED] CEI's mission is to help people and communities, especially those with low incomes, reach an adequate and equitable standard of living, working and learning, in harmony with the natural environment >> ______________________________________________________ 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: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
