Growing Up Organic (GUO) had the opportunity to connect high school students from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board with local farmers from Indian Creek Orchard Gardens and Greenshaus in May! With the help of the RBC Foundation, over 56 students from 2 schools were able to connect with local farmers in their classroom and on the farm. They were able to learn about the eco-friendly techniques our farmers are using to feed our communities while lowering their carbon footprint.
Participating farmers created and presented informative and curriculum-linked presentations, explaining topics such as what does organic and regenerative agriculture even mean and how can students/consumers ensure the products they are consuming help support sound farming/environmental practices. Students were also introduced to the many career opportunities available in the agriculture sector. They had lots of questions about income and lifestyle, to which the presenting farmers and the GUO team offered lots of feedback and recommendations on the various pathways for exploring a career in the field. At the end of the first presentation, one student even asked the farmer if she could come to work on his farm over the summer. A very exciting and encouraging moment!
Students touring the hoop house at Indian Creek Orchard Garden.
During the on-farm field trips students were able to bridge the aspects discussed during the in-class presentations with a farm tour, providing a holistic educational experience in understanding where their food comes from and the processes involved in getting it to their tables. Students shared how they enjoyed “being able to see how farms are set up and seeing the crops that are growing” and “seeing all the green houses and seeing where most of the food we eat comes from”. A few students even voiced wanting to stay and live on the farms.
Students shared how they enjoyed “being able to see how farms are set up and seeing the crops that are growing” and “seeing all the green houses and seeing where most of the food we eat comes from”.
The implementation of the RBC In-Class and On-Farm Visit program proved to be a valuable educational tool in successfully increasing our outreach to underserved student communities, as almost 100% of participating students had never had the opportunity to visit a farm before. In fact one teacher commented that the program was, “Excellent, gave many students the opportunity to visit farms and learn about different farming practices that they wouldn’t have otherwise”.
We would like to thank the RBC Foundation for funding this program and we hope to continue offering this opportunity to more students in the coming years.
About Growing Up Organic
Growing Up Organic (GUO) is an Ottawa-based garden educational program delivered by Canadian Organic Growers (COG) for children and youth that addresses critical gaps in the school system concerning food literacy and environmental education. Through partnerships with school boards, GUO has successfully educated over 10,000 students in many low-income neighbourhoods since 2007. GUO programming also features hands-on, curriculum-linked garden-based workshops, where students engage in sowing, planting, and enjoying fresh, organic produce they grow themselves at school.
By fostering an understanding of sustainable food production and environmental stewardship, GUO’s experiential and immersive educational approach helps prepare the next generation to address and adapt to the impacts of climate change and more.
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