Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Project
As part of my work as a community organizer for Family Health Center, and as my project for my Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, along with the help of a group of middle school students I created a school garden at Dr. Arthur F. Sullivan Middle School in Worcester, Massachusetts. I also facilitated the Beetle Juice Club, a student group which stayed after-school to care for the garden and promote a healthy lifestyle through the school. The garden was created with the help of the Sullivan Middle School Health Center.
The three main goals of this project were:
- To foster plant to food connections.
- To use the garden to build relationships between the school, the health center, and the greater community.
- To develop student ownership and create a space for students to engage in peer education.
The Beetle Juice Club
Over the course of two years fifteen students in grades 7th - 8th contributed to the formation of the Beetle Juice Club and created the following mission:
"The Beetle Juice Club is a group of student gardeners from Sullivan Middle School whose mission is to teach kids that gardening is fun and exciting, beautify the schools grounds, and unify the school around eating healthy and caring for the environment."
The students tended to the garden and used many of the produce to create healthy snacks including salsa, bruschetta, cole slaw and mint tea. The group also sold some produce at a farmer's market aimed at increasing access to fresh affordable produce in the low-income neighborhoods of Worcester. They also created a video on Youtube about what real food means to them and why their school should have healthier school lunches.
"The Beetle Juice Club is a group of student gardeners from Sullivan Middle School whose mission is to teach kids that gardening is fun and exciting, beautify the schools grounds, and unify the school around eating healthy and caring for the environment."
The students tended to the garden and used many of the produce to create healthy snacks including salsa, bruschetta, cole slaw and mint tea. The group also sold some produce at a farmer's market aimed at increasing access to fresh affordable produce in the low-income neighborhoods of Worcester. They also created a video on Youtube about what real food means to them and why their school should have healthier school lunches.
Download my final Schweitzer report for more details.
final_schweitzer_report.pdf | |
File Size: | 830 kb |
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