The Berks County Conservancy’s Berks Urban Greening (BUG) Community Gardening Program is a fascinating project that transforms vacant lots into healthy green community spaces and community gardens. In 2007 the Conservancy launched a “Junior BUGs” program to increase the involvement of children in our community gardens.
Through a grant from the Youth Advisory Committee of the Berks County Community Foundation, we were able to complete one initial year of Junior BUGs in cooperation with children of Berks Women in Crisis. The goal of the educational program is to introduce children and teens to community gardens by:- Assigning them plots to maintain for the growing season that are their responsibility to plant, water, weed, and harvest.
- Allowing them the opportunity to decide how they want to use the harvested produce - i.e. donate to shelter, sell and use proceeds to advance a cause that is important to them, etc.
- Offering weekly activities in the garden that will be educational and fun for the children such as making 'vegetable monsters', birdfeeders, birdhouses, cut floral arrangements, and going on critter hunts.
- Encouraging them to enter their produce in the Reading Fair.
- Assigning them responsibilities to help maintain the common areas in our community gardens by weeding, composting, and picking up trash.
- Educating the children and teens about basic gardening, and sharing the appreciation of where our food and produce comes from.
All Junior BUGs are presented with Certificates of Participation at the end of the summer program. The Berks County Conservancy truly believes in the educational value of this program and will pursue funding to continue Junior BUGs annually.
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