GROW EDUCATION PROGRAM - PROVIDED BY THE MARION INSTITUTE
For the past 7 years, the Grow Education program of the Marion Institute has been an innovative community gardening initiative located in New Bedford, MA. Based in public schools, Grow’s gardens have created strong points of connection between teachers, students, families and community neighbors. Sharing responsibilities and ideas, recipes and cultural traditions, the program has been an effective tool for engaging families from diverse cultures – from children to grandparents – in conversations about designing, building and nurturing gardens, families and neighborhoods.
In partnership with the Food and Nutrition Services Department and the Farm to School Project, the Grow program has expanded to stimulate hands-on science, nutrition, and environmental education through year-round school programming. Their approach supports the schools to further our communities to change lifestyle practices and engage in behaviors that incorporate the concept of food as medicine.
The Marion Institute is currently implementing a program that will allow them to expand their capacity to develop and implement nutrition/science curriculum to the third-grade at all (19) elementary schools in the New Bedford Public Schools. Through expanding a garden/outdoor classroom at each school, and a series of garden workshops, community presentations, professional development workshops and celebratory events, the Grow program seeks to build a school-wide culture of health!