Regional Garden-based Learning Summit
City Blossoms, the United States Botanic Garden, and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (Washington, DC) collaborated to develop and host the 2023 Regional Garden-based Learning Summit on July 27-28, 2023 in Washington, D.C.
The Summit gathered 54 garden-based learning professionals representing 34 community-based organizations in DC, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. It provided an opportunity for organizations to deepen community and connections, share resources and best practices, and be inspired by all of the incredible work happening in our region, with the ultimate goal of carrying this all back to their communities to enhance garden-based learning opportunities for children and youth.
Day 1 of the Summit was hosted at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). Activities included attendee-led lightning talk sessions, a self-guided small group networking activity, and a “solution seekers” workshop, which engaged attendees in group-supported troubleshooting sessions focused on common challenges experienced within garden-based programming.
Day 2 of the Summit was hosted at The Farm at Kelly Miller behind Kelly Miller Middle School, a collaborative production farm and garden-education space, co-run by City Blossoms and Dreaming Out Loud. Activities included attendee-led garden lesson demonstrations and a reflection exercise.
Key outcomes of the Summit included:
Increased connection among garden-based learning professionals in the Mid-Atlantic. Following the Summit, all (100%) of survey respondents felt more connected with their colleagues (93%) or sustained a strong existing sense of connection (7%). All (100%) survey respondents expressed that they planned to keep in touch with one or more colleagues they met at the Summit.
Increased awareness of garden-based learning programs in the Mid-Atlantic. Following the Summit, all (100%) of survey respondents felt more aware of the work of other garden-based learning programs in the Mid-Atlantic.
Increased awareness of resources to support garden-based learning in the Mid-Atlantic. Following the Summit, nearly all (97%) of survey respondents felt more aware of resources to support garden-based learning in the Mid-Atlantic (86%) or sustained a high level of awareness (11%).
Increased inspiration among garden-based learning professionals in the Mid-Atlantic. Following the Summit, 100% of survey respondents agreed that they felt inspired by the work happening in the Mid-Atlantic garden-based learning community, and 86% increased their sense of inspiration from pre- to post-Summit.
High satisfaction among Summit attendees. Following the Summit, 100% of survey respondents stated that they would recommend the Regional Garden-based Learning Summit to a colleague.
Over the next several months, City Blossoms, the United States Botanic Garden, and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, will gather to develop a digital Regional Summit Toolkit. The toolkit will include agendas, activities, templates, best practices, and other resources for others to host similar Regional Garden-based Learning summits around the country. We will share it widely on this landing page in early 2024. Sign up for the newsletter to stay updated. Through this toolkit, we hope to inspire others to launch their own regional summits!
Gratitude!
The summit was planned with the input of an advisory committee composed of the following individuals and organizations: Jennifer Cipolla (Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids, DE), Laura Genello (Baltimore City Public Schools, MD), Juan Pablo Echeverria (Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, VA), and Ashley Rattanawan (Friends of the National Arboretum, DC).
A huge THANK YOU to all attendees for contributing time and energy to the 2023 Regional Garden-based Learning Summit. Also, a special shout out to our passionate core planning group members, Emily Hestness (U.S. Botanic Garden), Ray Mims (U.S. Botanic Garden), Sam Ullery (Office of the State Superintendent of Education DC), Darian Artis (City Blossoms), Willa Pohlman (City Blossoms), and Rafael Woldeab (City Blossoms).
We are inspired to continue this work in community with you and look forward to connecting in the coming weeks and months.
With gratitude,
Rafael Woldeab, Willa Pohlman, Emily Hestness, Ray Mims, and Sam Ullery
City Blossoms, United States Botanic Garden, and Office of the State Superintendent of Education (Washington, DC)
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Questions about the Summit can be directed to Willa Pohlman, Deputy Director at City Blossoms: willa@cityblossoms.org
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