As we say goodbye to students at ¿uuqinak’uuh Grandview’s School Garden, I am delighted to share the changes and transitions bringing renewed energy and inspiration to the garden for the upcoming school year.
For the last few years, Fresh Roots has been drafting and imagining how to integrate the ¿uuqinak’uuh Grandview School Garden program we have been stewarding into the fabric of the surrounding effervescent Grandview-Woodland community and Indigenous cultures. Those rooted in the local community are best poised to lead the programs to flourish and intertwine with the energy already there.
So, I am delighted to share that the school garden program funded by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is being passed on to Grandview-Woodland Food Connection. Specifically, Victoria Buffalo Robe and Ruth Elizabeth Briggs are welcoming the garden into their fold of other food security and Indigenous gardens they steward. A full list of their summer programs, including the Britannia Bulk Buy Food Club and Nature’s Helpers at the Nexway̓ s wa lh7áy̓ nexw (Transformed Life Garden) and šxʷqʷeləwən ct (One Heart One Mind Garden) can be found here. Sharlene Singh at SPEC has been instrumental in navigating this transition, sharing her experiences and insights teaching in school gardens.
We look forward to seeing the changes and depth of programming to come in the school garden, many of which have already started! Victoria has engaged the students in connecting with and learning from the land and plants, slowing down to observe, focusing on Indigenous foods and medicines, and social-emotional well-being outside. Sharlene has re-engaged the students in responsibility and respect for the garden, demonstrating that growing takes patience and care. And, there is more to come.
Victoria and I said goodbye and congrats to this year’s students through tea at the school’s Indigenous Day celebration. Victoria brought a mix of harvested medicine plants to make iced tea and warm tea, and students could add their favourites from the garden. Victoria also brought calendula petals, which she described as “all-around medicine for kids.” That’s exactly what the school garden is—medicine for the students, healing and nurturing them for years to come.
Thank you cards from students to Fresh Roots
Grandview Garden