Abstract
School and community gardens are examples of urban agriculture projects that teach students how healthy food can be grown while caring for the environment. This research explores the role of school gardens, as an outdoor environmental education setting, in fostering connections between high school students and their community using the positive youth development model (Bowers et al., 2010). In this model, communities benefit from youth who are engaged and active as citizens, and the youth are valued and supported by their respective communities. The elements of this model are the 5Cs: competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring. This study explores how participating in school gardens contributes to high school students’ 5Cs of youth development. This research employed a mixed-method approach, specifically a case study method in an urban high school that maintained a garden on its grounds in Ontario, Canada. Participants included 23 high school students, one teacher, one principal, one volunteer, and one garden coordinator. Data sources included school garden observations; semi-structured interviews with students and their teacher, school principal and garden coordinator; and students’ surveys. Findings show the positive impact of involving students in the garden on their competence, confidence, and character. Working in the garden was shown to empower students especially from underrepresented groups. Students also built connections with community members, which exemplified connection and caring. These findings provide new insights about school gardens as a setting that nurtures students’ positive development and establishes community connections in a way that is inclusive to students from all backgrounds.
Presenters
Mariam TakkouchStudent, PhD Candidate, Western University, Ontario, Canada Isha DeCoito
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education/Faculty of Science, Western University, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Science, Mathematics and Technology Learning
KEYWORDS
School Gardens, Environmental Education, Empowering Youth, Community Building
