Greener Voices

Strategies to Increase the Participation of Children and Youth in Gardening Activities

Abstract

*Youth Transforming Their Environments and Communities | Reports from the Field

This article presents lessons learned from an evaluation of Greener Voices, an approach developed to enhance the participation of children and youth in schooland community-based gardening projects at six sites throughout New York and Pennsylvania. The sites included rural, suburban, and urban settings and engaged children from 3 to 18 years of age. Over a two-year period, Greener Voices provided the sites with consultation, written materials, a website, and an opportunity to attend a workshop and conference related to participation and gardening. Interviews with site leaders revealed key themes regarding the usefulness of activities, ongoing challenges, and progress made in increasing participation. Of particular interest was the usefulness of Hart’s ladder of children’s participation in raising awareness about participation. Ongoing efforts are needed to assist site leaders, particularly with ways to engage younger children.