Page 5 - Conclusion

Sutton Park Primary School Project:

Conclusion:

Projected Outcomes:

• The children involved will learn fundamental gardening skills that may become instrumental in their education and their development into adulthood. These practical life skills increase their capacity building for self-sufficiency, healthy living, networking and partnerships within the school and community leading to an overall improved quality of life collectively resulting in a stronger, vibrant community and a more dynamic economy.

• The children are encouraged to use their newly acquired gardening skills at home with their families. This helps provide shared experiences to build stronger family ties, encourage a healthy diet and quality lifestyle while beautifying their properties and uplifting the surrounding neighborhood. This way the family and the community truly "grow" together.

• The children have begun to understand the concept of social responsibility. They will experience the thrill of knowing a living organism is reliant on them for care and nourishment. They will gain confidence in themselves that they are the future guardians of the planet. Through their personal involvement and ownership of the garden they will develop partnerships and come to realise the importance of protecting personal and community property from vandalism. This ultimately will reduce vandalism, crime and violence.

• It is expected that with a few more years of maturity a core group of dedicated young gardeners is also likely to start a "garden gang" where they assist with neighbourhood gardening, community and environmental projects. This will provide them and their families with extra income and community status that may contribute to their "closing the gap" between poverty and opportunity.

• Through continued experience in gardening a number of these children will likely choose a career in horticulture or a related field that will provide them and their families with life-long employment and great community benefit. Among this group will be some of our future leaders who build parks, gardens, landscapes and tourist routes that create the real God Zone, Garden Country that will bring us improved employment and business opportunities, increased tourism and global recognition, sustained prosperity and enhanced quality of life.

• The children will be influenced enough by their gardening experience for this to help in their capacity development as educated and knowledgeable people better able to raise healthy, happy, self-reliant families contributing toward growing safer, stronger communities. The sum total of all these people's contributions to the wider community ultimately creates the vibrant and dynamic Face of the Future we all envision.

Developments to Date:

• A pilot project similar to the one outlined above was started at Sutton Park Primary School, Mangere East, Auckland, New Zealand in November 2000 and has already produced dramatically successful results (see attached article "Social Responsibility Reaps Business Rewards, Business Manukau Bulletin April-June 2001).

• The children started picking and harvesting from their first gardens within six weeks of planting and soon after started selling to the local community to earn money for school equipment and projects. They still are and planting more all the time.

• The School Principal, Judith Pickens, associated school personnel, assisting teachers, gardening teacher-in-charge and Deputy Principal, Josie Gardiner and the students involved in the pilot project all strongly support the continuation and further development of their garden project. They are now entering their second anniversary with delightful results. (See the associated Picture Gallery).

• Mayor of Manukau City Sir Barry Curtis and key members of Council have strongly praised the results of the project in their public endorsement. The Mayor spent a morning at the school commending both children and teachers involved in the project as “heroes of the planet helping keep New Zealand clean, green and nuclear free”. He has made frequently references to the project in his public addresses as an inspiration example of a community uplifting itself.

• Local businesses and the Vine Street Ratepayers Association plus local Police and Community Constables have been contacted and have agreed to provide further assistance and support.

• Redvale Garden Care are proud ongoing sponsors of the school garden project along with support from Mt. Wellington Nurseries and Bahco Tools.

• Similar gardening and environmental projects are springing up in schools throughout the country. The Labour Government providing “seed” funding to encourage further efforts.

• Many students involved in this pilot project started gardens of their own at home often teaching their parents how to garden for the first time. Many are visible along the streets surrounding the school.

• The Vine Street Rate Payers Association held their first local garden competition as a result this year with scores of entries. It took several days to judge them all.

• Following the success of their garden competition the Association organised a series of public community events in a local park they saved from commercial development. Every one has been a remarkable success with no crime, violence, graffiti or trashing. More events and better gardens are all being planned now for the coming spring.

• One student leading a particularly active band of young boys commented proudly before the Mayor and dignitaries, “We are all going to be legend, we are greening the planet”. He is right, they are. They all seem to instinctively understand that it is they who are the ones to ‘inherit the Kingdom’ and they are busy planting it now.