School Garden at Explore College Preparatory Middle School, East Oakland

In collaboration with Mandela Marketplace and West Oakland Youth Standing Empowered (WYSE), Planting Justice is developing a 2 acre mini-farm at the Explore College Prep Middle School in East Oakland called the Burbank Garden. In April 2009, along with approximately eighty 6th and 7th graders, we planted the first 30 fruit trees at the garden's new perennial, edible food forest. Each fruit tree was planted on contexampleour, down-slope from three water harvesting swales that were dug in a January community work-party. Check out our pictures and video below! This garden is providing the students with hands-on educational experiences in growing food and understanding nutrition through their science and after-school curriculum. Community members are included in each development phase of the garden and are able to harvest the fruits and vegetables whenever they need. By holding community work-parties and free permaculture workshops with each stage of this garden's implementation, we are helping to empower local residents with the skills and inspiration to develop this garden as a vital community resource. Check out these pictures and Mandela Marketplace's website: http://www.mandelamarketplace.org/ as well as WYSE's blog: http://www.myspace.com/wyse_youth Stay tuned for our next community work-party, educational resources for the middle school's science classes which are intended to meet CA state standards, and further ways in which you can participate!

Project Photos: 
Planting Fruit Trees with the After School Program
Excitement about Planting Fruit Trees
Preparing the Ground for Fruit Trees
Preparing the Ground for Fruit Trees
Teaching about Planting Fruit Trees
Planting Fruit Trees
Planting Fruit Trees
Planting Fruit Trees with the After School Program