This is a indoor workshop design for the first meeting with the youth of the Ironbound Community Corporation for our 2014 Environmental Leadership Program project. In February, the garden was still snow-covered:

Meeting goal:

community goal setting

Audience:

15 youth gardeners ranging from 5-17 years of age, program coordinator Emily Turonis

Agenda:

Activity 1: Hello and Introductions!

• "when i hear the word garden, i think of '_____' "

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Activity 2: Group photo (outside)

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Activity 3: EJ map to set your local knowledge as the context, and to be able to share your story out more broadly. For reference, see https://mapknitter.org/map/view/2014-02-12-chicago-calumet-river-industrial-corridor

ONE: give each person one large piece of paper and a marker to "Make their own mental maps"

• our homes
• our gardens
• current and former factories
• air pollution sources from urban infrastructure (incinerator)
• vacant lots
• food stores

Questions to consider: what's worth putting on the map? How does this garden fit into our neighborhood? Whats going on in our neighborhood that we are proud of? What are things we would like to improve?

SOME: small groups to share maps and see what we had in common

MANY: tape 6 big sheets together to make mental map (many: draw it all together onto one)

Questions to consider: how might our garden support things we like? How might our garden improve the things we don't like?

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Activity 4: Highest hopes for your work in the garden this year, OR "what are you looking forward to doing in the garden this year?"

• garden goal setting session!

ONE: scribble out their ideas on their own on paper

SOME: share ideas with one or two people while seated

MANY: share amongst themselves as a whole group

Questions to consider:

• What are we going to plant?
• how much do we want to grow of these plants?
• how to we want to visit the garden?
• who do we want to help with the garden?
• who hasn't participated that we want to participate?
• what animals do we want to visit the garden?
• What kinds of fun do we want to have in the garden?
• other good things?