School & Youth Garden Workshop

About this event

Join educators & community partners for a hands-on day of learning to grow, teach, and sustain school & youth garden programs in SWFL. UF/IFAS Extension Lee County and ECHO Global Farm are hosting the School & Youth Garden Workshop, a full day of hands-on training for anyone building, leading, or supporting school & youth garden programs in Southwest Florida. This year's workshop runs a full day and includes three hands-on ECHO farm experiences, sessions on building programs that last and teaching in the garden, crop-specific growing sessions on tomatoes and peppers, and a live cooking class using garden produce. Presented in partnership with the Lee County School District's-Healthy Living Collaboration (HLC), UF/IFAS Lee County Master Gardeners Program, Sakata Seeds America, Inc, and The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation. Topics • Building a school garden program that lasts beyond one school year • Hands-on farm, community garden, and urban garden techniques adaptable to school gardens • A Peer Learning Session focused on working through the real challenges of classroom management outdoors and connecting garden time to classroom curriculum • Growing tomatoes and peppers in Southwest Florida school gardens • A live class connecting cooking, gardening, and learning Who should attend Educators, school leadership and administrators, volunteers, Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) staff using garden grown produce, school garden support organizations, and community partners working and supporting youth & school garden education programs. Free Registration • Phase 1 (August 27 – September 10): Open to school educators only. • Phase 2 (September 11 – September 25): Open to the general public, including additional school staff. Space is limited to 40 attendees, so educators are encouraged to register early during Phase 1 to guarantee their spot before it opens more broadly. Lee County teachers: this training includes in-service hour credits. Contact Susie Hassett at [email protected] or (239) 699-4476 with questions. Contact For questions or help with registration, contact Kathleen Morales Perez at [email protected] or (239) 839-4582. Accommodations If you require special accommodations, such as interpreter services for the deaf or hard of hearing, please email [email protected] at least four days before the program begins. TTY/TDD/FRS: dial 711. *An Equal Opportunity Institution.