At the start of the pandemic, Los Angeles Education Partnership’s (LAEP) community school coordinator at Griffith STEAM Middle School started a student-led group called Mindful Gardeners. Inspired by the mental health needs that had been exacerbated by the pandemic and working alongside the school’s psychiatric social worker, the group began a school gardening initiative with the slogan, “Water your plants, water your mind.”
Nathalie, a student and founding member of the group, said, “Numerous studies have proven the healing ability of plants towards our mental health, and we decided to use this as an opportunity to help others to learn and care for their mental health because the pandemic has jeopardized the well-being of peoples’ mental health. Additionally, given that Hispanic/Latinx cultures have certain fixated beliefs on mental health that vary in their importance, we decided to take it onto our hands to act towards the inconsistencies by destigmatizing them. We have engaged in numerous projects to create awareness within our school and beyond.”
What started out as a group of eight committed young leaders meeting virtually grew to add 100 more students to their core planning efforts in the 2021-22 year, leading schoolwide efforts in mindfulness and wellness practices connected to gardening initiatives. They have also expanded this work at weekly farmers market within the East LA community at large, where the school is located. They share with the community the importance of mental health and what they hope to achieve with their gardening initiatives at the school and community.
In the 2021-2022 school year, the club even received a visit from U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten!
Now three years after the club’s conception, Mindful Gardeners continues with a large group of engaged student leaders who are bringing gardening and mental health messages and programming to their school community and the greater East LA community.
Seeing the success of the Griffith Mindful Gardeners initiative, LAEP worked to provide a series of gardening wellness workshops at five of our other partner community schools, with grant funding from the California Community Foundation/FEDCO and in partnership with community-based gardening organizations.
More than 485 students participated in the 2021-2022 school year!
Students learned about things like:
- Soil
- Planting seedlings in garden beds
- Plant care and techniques
- Community gardens and the sharing of wealth and health
- How caring for your garden is akin to caring for your personal and collective health and well-being
They also developed mindfulness practices and shared fresh produce grown right in their school garden.
Student surveys last year reported a 100% satisfaction rate, with 100% of participants reporting that they learned something new and they felt an increase in well-being and sense of belonging.
It has been awesome to see the students’ leadership and empowerment grow alongside their interest in gardening, growing food, and wellness, and to see the sharing of community wealth through these gardening and mindfulness initiatives. We are so excited that we have been able to bring back gardening programming for several of our schools again in the 2022-2023 school year.
LAEP’s community schools model weaves together the experience and resources of staff, students, parents, residents, and organizations to transform schools into community resource hubs that address systemic inequities and enact liberatory practices.