east washington life
Celebrating 50 Years of the Washington Youth Garden
T
he Washington Youth Garden, a project of the Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA), turns 50 years old this summer. The founders would be so proud of how this program has grown and the amazing impact it has had on generations of DC young people. Today the garden provides fresh produce to area farmers markets, trains teachers in professional development of gardening curriculum, and most important of all, it introduces hundreds of children to soil, worms, and all things vegetable.
by Rindy O’Brien. Photos by FONA
and, after a few howls of concern at what The one-acre Washington Youth Garden they were asked to do, the children put is part of the US National Arboretum and their hands into the soil, finding worms a program of the Friends of the National and other bugs. The program at the beArboretum, a non-profit that supports the work of the federal arboretum. ginning was not integrated into the local schools’ curriculum. It was seen as an after-school activity. Over the years, the program increased the number of students participating but was limited by the budget and city funding for staff. In 1995, the city ended its Garden Council and the Friends of the National Arboretum incorporated the youth garden into its mission. 1995 was the same year that chef and activist Alice Waters launched The Edible Schoolyard Project in The History Berkeley, California. Teaching children The Washington Youth Garden began about eating healthy, organic gardens, in 1971 as the Washington Youth Garand getting children out in nature was den Council, a city project. The Nacatching fire everywhere. Waters made tional Capital Area Garden Clubs were a visit to the WYG and was delighted instrumental in joining with the DC Deby the success partment of Recreation to start a garden of the garden club for third to fifth graders in local elbeing operated ementary schools. Two years later, the at a renowned began working in neighboring elementary schools school programs’ gardening class to come to the Arboclub members broke ground at the Ararboretum. during the academic school year. There was some reretum and actually see what they have been learning in boretum. For many children, it was their By 2000, sistance and every effort didn’t take hold. But it was the classroom. The children learn that the Youth Garfirst introduction to how food is grown, the WYG staff an immediate success in some of the schools and evenden’s one acre demonstration garden is large enough tually led to schools putting in raised garden beds on to produce 4,000 pounds of food. The food is disschool property so more students had the opportunitributed to local organizations and farmers’ markets. ty to watch the garden grow. In 2010, DC passed the Healthy Schools Act. In 2021, The United States Botanic Garden, the Among other things, the Act promotes farm to school, Office of the State Superintendent of Education, and locally grown, and sustainable agriculture practices City Blossoms released “Growing Strong: A Comprein public and charter schools, even providing some hensive Guide to Support all School Garden Programs much-needed funding for the programs. in the District.” The guide helps teachers, community Over the past decade, the WYG has become a organizations, school administrators and even parents leader on the school garden scene. For example, this adopt strategies to bring gardening to DC students. year it has started a Summer Institute offering a proThe Washington Youth Garden has pivoted from fessional development opportunity to teachers. Sixengaging with small groups of students to bringing ty teachers representing 20-30 schools will be parthe garden experience to greater numbers of children ticipating. They will get tips on coordinating garden through a program launched in 2002 called Sprout programs and maintenance of gardens, curriculum inField Trips. It’s a one-day field trip where students tegration, will be introduced to the many resources Originally an afterschool club, for 50 years, the Washington Youth are exposed to all the steps of gardening through inavailable to them in our DC region to help make their Garden has been a place where children can learn to garden and how food is grown. novative and fun activities. It is often a highlight of a programs even more successful. 24
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