Transcript Community gardens and building strong communities

Community gardens and
building strong communities
Miriam Pepper
www.unitingearthweb.org.au
Outline
• Introductions
• Stories from church community gardens:
– What are community gardens?
– Why and how are churches involved?
– How are they building strong communities?
– What challenges have they faced?
• Resources
• Discussion in pairs/groups
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Introductions
• 10 seconds
• What is your name?
• Are you involved in a community garden
– which one?
• What do you hope to learn from this session?
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What are community gardens?
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Places where people come together to garden
Food growing and associated facilities
Indigenous and native plants
Community art
Animals
Socialisation, celebration, solitude, reflection
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Turtle Lane
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Living Garden
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Cottage in the Graveyard
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Kingston Organic Garden
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Why are churches involved?
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Build relationships
Social inclusion
Stewardship of church land
Creation care
Respond to a request from the community
Invigorate their mission
Integrate worship, witness and service
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Hughes Street
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Cooma
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Garden of Eden
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Feed My People
Photo: Thea Buchan
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South Sydney
Photo: Ali Blogg
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How are churches involved?
Four models:
• “Church land, church run”
• “Church land, others run”
• “Church in partnership”
• “Existing garden”
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Miranda
Photo: UnitingCreative
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O’Connor
Photo: Noel Haberecht
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Adamstown
Graphic: Tom Toogood
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How are churches building strong
communities?
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Enhanced relationships and networks
Social inclusion
Environmental benefits
Physical and mental health benefits
Reduced costs for managing open space
Reduced crime and vandalism
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How are churches building strong
communities?
“The main theme appears to be the connection of the
people involved... friendships and connections through
the earth, the soil, the plants, and its fruits. There is an
energy coming from it that is difficult to put into words.”
Church community garden tour participant, 28/5/11
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Partnerships
Build community ownership
Participatory learning
Celebration
The church itself can be transformed!
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Garden of Eden
Photo: Judith Dalton
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Garden of Eden
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Garden of Eden
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Garden of Eden
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What challenges have churches faced?
• Getting the whole congregation on board
• Issues of who controls the space
• Managing conflicts among gardeners and
garden groups
• Founder’s syndrome
• Longer term sustainability?
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Hughes Street
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Other gardens (Uniting Church)
• St Luke’s Belmont
• Permapatch
(Chatswood South)
• St John’s Neutral Bay
• UAICC Garden
(Broken Hill)
• New Lambton
• Quakers Hill
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Canowindra
Fairy Meadow
Young
Mudgee
Grace Community
(Goulburn)
• Hope
(Maroubra Junction)
and no doubt more…….
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Resources
Uniting Earthweb community food resources:
• “Growing Mission with Community Food”
http://www.unitingearthweb.org.au/communi
ty-food
• Church
stories:http://www.unitingearthweb.org.au/st
ories
Australian City Farms and Community Gardens
Network: http://communitygarden.org.au
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Questions?
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Discussion
In pairs or small groups:
• What struck you from today’s presentation?
• What have you learned?
• What will you take away with you?
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Thank you!
Miriam Pepper
www.unitingearthweb.org.au