Benefits of a Community Garden
What's going on here?
The community garden at Olmsted County in Minnesota, USA has several benefits for the neighbourhood residents. In sum, it helps them reduce the budget on groceries, make fresh healthy produce more accessible, and foster better relationships with one another.
Highlights:
Garden participant, Mohamed Hared shares his positive experiences. Working in the garden has equipped him with skills that he uses to grow fruits and vegetables. He explains that the garden has helped him forge new friendships with his neighbours, whom he previously did not know.
The garden also encourages closer bonds amongst family members, especially between parents and children. It gives them an opportunity to work together on a project.
Another garden participant, Christina Vilai, shares that her four-year-old wants to be outdoors more often when she started getting involved in the community garden.
Mohamed Hared witnessed a similar trend with his kids too - they became more interested in gardening and acquired planting and harvesting skills.
Useful Vocabulary:
reduce the budget on
shares his [adjective] experiences
make (something) more accessible
foster better relationships/friendships
forge new friendships
Acquired [activity] skills
Discussion Questions:
What are your thoughts on community gardens? Did they change after watching the video? Why/why not?
What are some pros and cons of a community garden? Are there more pros or cons?
Would you like to do some gardening during your free time? Why/why not?
Do you think it's important for a neighbourhood to have community activities such as a community garden? What other ways can a neighbourhood come together to create a communal spirit?
Is it important for an individual to contribute back to society through charity work? Why or why not? Can you list some examples of contributing back?
