116: Garden of Youth – Chris Woodburn, Denver Public Schools

Tune in for a conversation with Chris Woodburn, School Gardens Specialist with Denver Public Schools. Find out about Garden of Youth, an innovative garden program to help plant seeds of opportunities for students with obstacles to employment. We'll also hear about volunteer opportunities in the DPS gardens and the April 2021 DPS Sustainability & Garden Forum. GARDEN OF YOUTH INTERNSHIP Garden of Youth provides students with special needs soft job skills through 10-week paid summer internships. Eight sites host interns across Denver where students plant, maintain and harvest produce to share at local farmers markets while practicing merchandising, sale skills, and money math. Each week interns explore one garden or sustainability topic while honing their job skills working in small groups with a job coach. Garden of Youth is in its tenth year and still growing strong. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Looking for an outdoor volunteer opportunity with kids and gardens in the Denver area? Individuals and groups can volunteer with DPS school gardens on a one-time or ongoing basis. To be matched with schools who have requested support, contact Chris Woodburn at [email protected]. More Info - DPS Gardens https://sustainability.dpsk12.org/gardens/ - DPS Garden of Youth Internship https://sustainability.dpsk12.org/garden-of-youth/ - Youth Sustainability Board https://www.youthsustainabilityboard.org/ - Denver Urban Gardens https://dug.org/ DPS Sustainability & Gardens Forum https://sustainability.dpsk12.org/sustainability-garden-forum-summit/   Upcoming Events from Green Team Academy 3rd Annual Earth Week Summit: Apr 17-24, 2021 2021 Annual International Climate Action Challenge: Aug 18, 2021