This summer, the San Carlos Community Garden (SCCG) launched its first-ever Summer Youth Ambassador Program, aiming to inspire a sense of community, responsibility, and a love for nature among local high school students.

The 11-week volunteer initiative not only introduced young participants to the art and science of gardening but also offered them a chance to give back to their community in a meaningful way. Among the inaugural participants were three students from Patrick Henry High School (PHHS) Lily Hawking, Gweneviere Frenzel, and Eva Ramon.

From Art to Agriculture

Lily, Gweneviere, and Eva were first introduced to the San Carlos Community Garden during their freshman year at PHHS, as members of the school’s art club.

Their initial contribution was a creative one when they collaborated on a mosaic butterfly project. The club created and then donated and installed the beautiful mosaic in the San Carlos Community Garden. This stunning feature, with its vibrant, nearly four-foot-wide wings, now stands proudly over a bed of colorful flowers including a butterfly bush, serving as a beacon for pollinators. Its presence is not just ornamental; it symbolizes the beginning of the girls’ deeper involvement with the garden.

Digging In: The Youth Ambassador Experience

Following their artistic contribution, the trio joined the SCCG’s Summer Youth Ambassador Program.

Over the course of the summer, the girls engaged in a variety of activities that included developing a summer garden design plan, planting, and tending to tomatoes, pumpkins, herbs and sunflowers, as well as general maintenance around the garden.

Leslie Nelson, a valuable member of the Garden’s leadership team, and garden liaison with Patrick Henry said, “The purpose of this program was to really help students understand what organic gardening is and expose students to the benefits and experience of organic gardening. Not only did we want them to get their shovels in the dirt, but to let them experience how relaxing and gratifying it can be to design a garden and understand how to do it organically.

“Over the 11-weeks, they learned how to use mulch to enhance soil quality and cut down on weeds instead of using pesticides. They also got to learn more about different types of native and solitary bees, and got to see live leafcutter bee cocoons (also known as alfalfa bees) and baby bees emerge when they set up the Garden’s bee house.”

The SCCG leadership team also wanted to ensure that these young people got the chance to learn valuable skills that went beyond weeding and planting.

“By exposing the girls to the various programs that we offer, and pairing them up with different Board Members and volunteers, we were also able to nurture a sense of social responsibility, community engagement, and understanding that operating our community garden is the same as running any other business, making this program a much more enriching experience” Nelson added.

Learning and Growing

The program was an eye-opening experience for Lily, Gweneviere, and Eva; each of them taking away valuable lessons and memories from their time at the garden.

Lily shared her excitement about watching the garden’s transformation over the summer, saying, “It was really fun seeing the tomatoes grow. When we first planted them, they were small, and now they’ve grown so big. It was sad to see some stuff get eaten, but that’s part of the process, I guess.”

Eva, who was new to gardening, found the experience educational and rewarding. “I didn’t know anything about gardening before this, so learning how different plants need different types of care for planting and pruning was really interesting,” she said.

Gwen expressed how the program offered a refreshing change from the typical school routine. “This program was really cool, and it was fun to plant stuff in the ‘Patch’ when it was empty so we could watch everything grow. It didn’t feel like a job, and it was neat to have responsibility for something other than school. Plus, being in the garden is such a great place to be.”

The SCCG plans to offer the Summer Youth Ambassador program again next year with applications becoming available by mid-May 2025.

And don’t miss SCCG’s last Stuff the Pantry summer concert sponsored by Aloha Solar and Precision Concrete Designs on Friday, Sept. 20 from 5 -7 p.m.

Obtenga más información en sancarloscommunitygarden.com.

Kelly Wood is Board Chair of the San Carlos Community Garden.