By Candice Boyle
A SMALL vegetable patch in Footscray has now grown into a large-scale garden project that is helping to teach students important life skills.
Students from Victoria University have played a key role in the development and maintenance of the sustainable community garden that was launched by Victoria University’s Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor John McCallum last week.
The garden was established with funding awarded by the Office for Industry and Community Engagement seeding grant program.
Students ranging from 16 to 55 years of age have now transformed the vacant block that was allocated to the community garden program in 2006.
Victoria University school of general education programs and services teacher Majella Grainger said the project encouraged students to use skills involved in planning and organising, communication, design and construction and problem solving while also teaching the importance of environmental education.
“It also consolidates their literacy, numeracy, personal development and social skills in a workplace setting,” she said.
“Environmental education is essential to the project and includes sustainable gardening practices such as being water wise, crop rotation, recycling garden waste and worm farms,” she said.
The project will help provide a pathway to employment for participants and will address the Support Gardening Work section of the land management and horticulture training package.
Ms Grainger said in conjunction with the qualification, the students also would undertake work experience with a Landcare Australia project.
“The project offers strong links with opportunities to develop the employability skills identified within curriculum, training packages and work environments.
“The practical focus of the community garden offers a rich and meaningful learning experience for the students involved,” Ms Grainger said.
