Friends General Conference

Together we nurture the spiritual vitality of Friends
A monthly meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.

AFSC New Orleans Community Garden presentation Dec 15 at 9:20 am

AFSC's Peace by Piece’s curriculum contains tools for trauma healing, power analysis, Black history, basics of economics, and organizing tactics for youth-led actions that address policies and practices that promote injustice. 
 
The program takes a comprehensive approach to these issues that includes amplifying the voices of impacted youth and developing their leadership to create systems change. They train young leaders to provide mentorship and education in urban agriculture and to organize around the inequitable distribution of resources and economic justice. These strategies will empower and prepare the next generation of leaders to identify root causes of oppression and take actions that lead to social and cultural transformation. 
In 2016, Peace by Piece built a backyard garden in a Hollygrove neighborhood. The garden was used as an outdoor teaching space for a summer camp focusing on building sustainable communities. The camp helped young people to understand the lack of access to healthy food options in the neighborhood. The camp also helped young people realize their ability to create an alternative food source to feed their neighborhood. There are no affordable grocery stores in the neighborhood, so the program negotiated with corner store owners to sell their produce at a reduced cost once the garden yields a large enough harvest. Meanwhile, the program has sponsored several garden give-aways

As part of the process of learning how to plant vegetables, they have made connections with the older residents in the neighborhood and held gardening classes for young children.Growing out of the success of the  summer camp in Hollygrove New Orleans, Peace by Piece New Orleans would like to secure a plot of land dedicated to a full sized garden. Once secured, this green space will have full community ownership and control with oversight provided by the Hollygrove Neighbors Association. The garden will be used as a food source for the entire neighborhood. This space is intended to feed, as well as to promote, healthy and whole communities through gardening and political education.

The Hollygrove Neighbors Association has become a partner in this venture and will own the property. This means that there will be continuity as the young people grow up and go to college. Witnessing first hand, how the entire neighborhood has come together and their level of buy-in and commitment demonstrates the power of this project.

DeeDee Green, program director, will be in Houston on December 15 and will do a presentation on the program and garden at Adult First Day School that day.

Sunday, December 15, 2019 - 9:30am to 10:30am
LIve Oak Friends Meeting
1318 West 26th St
Houston, TX 77008
United States
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