DESN-320 - Guillermina Noel Community Gardens Project Clayton Wadsworth Jordan Tate Katrina Yu Tina Yan
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Table of Content s
1. The Problem 2. Co-Creation Activities 3. Co-Creation Findings 4. Design Strategy 5. Conclusion
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1.0 T he Problem in vancouver, climate change, resource depletion, growing inequity, loss of farmland and farmers, and rising healthcare costs from diet-related illness all threatenen the city’s food resilience. Community gardening is a effective solution to combat these problems and and strengthen our food resilience by providing a way for citizens to grow their own food and be self-sustainable. However, Vancouver already has a very robust citizenship interest in sustainability and related activites, shown through the flourishing organization Village Vancouver— a global movement and integrated network in 45 countries of: 472 official Transition Town Initiatives in 23 countries, and 32 official initiatives in Canada, including 10 in bc. Even though community gardening has become extreme-
ly popular, it is not always available to everyone. There are over 75 community gardens with waitlists so long that many individuals feel unmotivated to get involved. In addition, knowledge passed along down generations is extremely valuble in that the knowledge, once lost, may never be obtained again. There is also a prevalent problem of elders experiencing social isolation, and wanting (but lacking) an active and social lifestyle. This social interaction is crucial for an elders’ health and wellbeing. Thus, both youth and elders lack the resources and programs in order to achieve an environment with intergenerational learning.
How can we engage elders and youth through community gardens to increase food resilience, while promoting intergenerational learning and utilizing Vancouver's existing resources? 3
1.1 Personas
Peter Diaz 19 year old Male
Occupation: Transfer student at Emily Carr and part-time at Whole Foods Location: Downtown Davie Personality: Social, outgoing Interests: Likes to live a healthy & sustainable lifestyle, but sometimes finds it hard to do so due to time Values: Friends, Family Social Needs: Needs to be involved in social activities. Needs to feel belonged Technical High, knows how to use a computer Literacy: and smartphone/tablet
Meredith Smith 70 year old female
Occupation: Retired high school teacher Location: Kitsilano Personality: Friendly, loves to talk and interact with people Interests: Teaching, gardening, and the environment Values: Family & her students Social Needs: Sense of belonging, love and safety. Technical Decent, has a smartphone and Literacy: computer. Can do basic activites Transportation: Translink, walking, driving
Transportation: Translink, walking, biking 4
1.2 Mind Map
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2.0 Co-Creat ion Act ivit ies before beginning our co-creation activities, we decided on the information that we wanted to obtain from the activities and catered them to fit the factors. These factors include: • Level of interest in community gardening • How to increase interest & motivation • The barriers • Level of interest for youth working with elders (and vice versa) • How to increase interest • Do they know how current food systems work? • Current knowledge of gardening From these points we created our 4 activites, keeping in mind that these activites must be interactive and engaging for the participants. These activites are: • Ice breaker • Flash cards • Storyboard • Open Discussion 6
2. Flashcards in the first activity, we created flashcards with various images to do with gardening, and intergenerational learning. We laid them out on the table and participants were to discuss the first thing that comes to mind. They are invited to take more than one photo and relate them to each other if they would like. Images included families in the community garden, soil, transportation techniques and seed libraries.
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2.2 Storyboard in the second activity, we asked the participants to draw/write out an ideal situation in which inter-generational learning is promoted. On a tabloid sheet with frames in it, each frame prompted a question (who, what, when, where and why). • Who: Who would the learning be between? • What: What would you learn? • When: When would you be doing this activity? • Where: Where would this be taking place? • Why: Why would you be doing this activity?
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2.3 Discussion In the last activity we facilitated an open discussion with our participants. We asked a series of questions related to community gardening and intergenerational learning, and then wrote down findings. Questions included: • How do you prefer to travel to a community garden? • How much time can you dedicate to a community garden per week? • Do you prefer to garden individually or socially? If so, who? • What are some barriers for you to do community gardening? • What would motivate you to do community gardening? • Do you interact with any elders and in what scenario(s)? Do you enjoy it and why or why not? 9
2.4 Co-creat ion Photos
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3.0 Co-Creat ion Findings • Sense of pride when you get to eat the food you’ve grown in your own backyard • Community Gardens dont look fun or attractive- However, it was rewarding • Lacked knowledge & resources to get started • People sitting together: love doing potlucks all the time. Great way to be together with other people and share a meal. Experience food • The youth participants like to engage with the elders so that they can create a deeper connection with them and learn new things • The youth feel excluded, as they think a community has already been established and they can’t join after • If they had friends that went as well they would be more interested • Wanted less commitment, and many youths didn't have enough time • Location must be convienient- Many youths didn't have cars
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3.1 Data Analysis Response
Analysis
Applicat ion
“In the summer [community gardens] are nice but when it’s cold and gloomy it’s unattractive.”
The gardens lack an appeal and a sense of a fun and sociable community.
Signage will be posted in the garden to promote the foods growing there. There will also be signage in the form of posters in the school.
“[We] love doing potlucks all the time. It’s a great way to be together with other people and share a meal.”
The potlucks are a great opportunity for sharing stories, food and knowledge between generations.
The club will have a monthly potluck to share food and gardening experience. Improvements and knowledge can be exchanged.
“I feel excluded - I feel as though the community has already been established and I’m not welcome.”
The sense of exclusion can be the lack of welcoming signage and also an already established community.
The gardens lack an appeal and a sense of a fun and sociable community.Signage needs to be placed so that it is welcoming.
“I need something with low commitment. Perhaps something that is a 3-6 week course.”
Students generally do not have much time and can not commit to something too demanding immediately.
Important to create something on a cyclical basis. Students commit to a week at a time to garden.
“I don’t generally communicate to elders other than my relatives.”
It may not be in the student’s comfort zone to reach out to the elders.
A potluck will allow the students and elders to come together and share knowledge and experiences while having fun.
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4.0 Design Solut ion
utilizing the already existing and flourishing organization Village Vancouver and Emily Carr's space, interests, and resources, we propose Emily Grows. Emily Grows is a extracurricular urban growing club at Emily Carr University. The club promotes a culture of food resilience for all students, and allows for intergenerational learning between students and elders as members of Village Vancouver with the knowledge and experience of growing food will guide the club. Monthly potlucks will be held where we invite members of Village Vancouver to come and share some of the food we have grown togeth-
er. Thus, knowledge and social bonding is shared through the experience. Emily Grows is also convienient for students as the location is on-campus and the commitment level is low, since it is a team project. Finally, we strive for Emily Grows to be replicable— on the Emily Grows website, we upload instructions and diagrams that are completely opensource and available for any other academic institutions or organizations to download and use. Emily Grows allows for a place for both students and elders to garden together, promoting both food resilience and intergenerational learning. 13
4.1 Sequence of Event s • An informational session will be held for those who are interested, studnets sign up • Students pay a $20 fee to join per semester that go to supplies • Raised beds will be built together by students, with the help of ID student members, and placed in Emily Carr's balcony area • A workshop at the beginning of the semester will be given by a knowledgable Village Vancouver member • Student get into pairs to take turns every week to tend to the garden • Meetings are held every month in the form of engaging potlucks where the youth and elders come together to discuss and share their gardening experiences • There will be information sessions, crate building sessions and sequential meetings if needed • The instructions and tools needed are all available on the website for reblicability 14
4.2 Int roducing Emily Grows (Video) the video's purpose is to communicate what Emily Grows is in a fun, engaging way. It starts giving the viewer context on Vancouver’s current community gardening scene, then explaining some of the issues students face when trying to grt involved. We then go into explaining what Emily Grows is and how to get involved.
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4.3 Pos ter
The posters serve as first-hand and direct promotional material to the students of Emily Carr. These will be seen on all across campus to attract students to come to the informational session, and to join the club. Through our research, we found that students found community gardens unnattractive and uninviting. They also did not know much about the benefits of community gardening, and even if they wanted to, had no idea how to get involved. This poster would inform them of the benefits of growing food as well as to tell them about an information session.
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4.4 DIY Urban Gardening This DIY Urban Gardening informational sheet is used at the beginning of the club for the members to learn how to build raised beds for portable gardening. id students who sign up for the club will assist and lead other students who are in other majors and may not have experience in building. This also promotes bonding and interaction between the different majors, something we currently lack in Emily Carr. Through our research, students iterated that they were more likely to want to do an activity if their friends and peers were involved as well. In addition, having students be a part in making the raised beds will therefore make them feel more involved and responsible for the garden that grows in it. The poster is designed to be friendly and easy to read and understand. In addition, for Emily Grows to be as replicable as possible, this instructional poster will be provided on the Emily Grows website for others to download and make their own raised beds. 17
4.5 Toolshed Item Lis t
This Toolshed Item List is an informational sheet that has images, names and descriptions of different tools you will find and need for gardening. This will be placed on the toolshed that we will have for Emily Grows, and meant to be an instructional tool for new gardeners to familiarize themselves with all the needed equipment, since through our research we found that many people did not have much knowledge on gardening or the necessary tools.
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4.6 Garden Signage
these garden signs will be displayed in the gardens that have a short step-by-step process as to how to grow these vegetables or fruits. The side of the sign will have a week number and a Monday-Sunday checklist for the student to check off whether they have watered or taken care of the garden. This sign will be laminated, so that a whiteboard marker can be used so that the sign can be reused over and over again. Through our research, signage had to be attractive and inviting. Also, having the checklist made the students feel more responsible for the garden and by checking it off, they can feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.
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4.6 Garden Signage (Cont.)
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4.7 Website The Website will allow members to access resources and information, such as DIY tutorials and tool information lists. It will also provide a platform via the blog to allow for communication between the students and the elders from Village Vancouver. The blog also serves as a way of documenting the process of making and maintaining the garden, and also updates members on upcoming events. Through our research we found that elders and youth would like a way to communicate online, however many elders do not have social media. The we came up with the idea of the blog as the best solution. The website also satisfies the criteria of replicability as all information, files, and resources pertaining to the construction and maintenance of the Emily Grows club is readily available to anyone to download.
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4.8 Website - Homepage
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4.8 Website - Blog
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4.8 Website - Blog (Cont.)
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4.8 Website - Resources
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4.9 Social Media Social media is used for updating and engaging with current members of Emily Grows, and to reach to others who may not know about the club. In our research youth often felt excluded from the community of urban gardening, so we want Emily Grows to be as open and as accessible as possible. It is also a good way to cultivate a online community of urban gardeners.
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5.0 Conclusion Looking back on Emily Grows, our team managed to accomplish a lot in a very short period of time, through the use of teamwork and truly listening to our research. Through our co-creation, we realized that large communities like Village Vancouver actually have an exclusive quality to them, and beginners were intimidated and hesitant to take the first steps in getting involved. They voiced that they needed to be with their friends, it needed to be in a location they felt safe in as well as be accommodating to different schedules. During the conceptualization phase, we incorporated the push/pull strategy Louise's spoke about in project one, where we pulled already established community like Village Vancouver and Emily Carr, and used our project as a tool to connect two already. This way we would establish an authentic connection, and produce a resilient idea that has the potential to last for generations.
In addition, we also made sure that Emily Grows was replicable as possible, so other established communities like other universities and corporations would be able to easily follow our lead. This was due to be observant, and noticing that while Vancouver doesn't have a lot of space, there are still tons of courtyards and balconies that almost always go unused. Relating to Ezio Manzini’s Small, Local, Open, and Connected, we went into it with the idea of taking a small school of around 1800 students, and creating an experience that we believe, can connect many young people who do actually want to make a difference with people like Ross and the members of Village Vancouver. Which is why we truly believe Emily Grows was successful, and if incorporated at Emily Carr, would promote positive social change.
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