Neighborhood Open Spaces Training

Neighborhood Open Spaces Training

Summary

The Neighborhood Open Spaces Training Institute, a joint venture of multiple public and private agencies, aims to ensure coordinated training of staff and volunteers for proper maintenance and management of Boston’s neighborhood parks, schoolyards and community gardens. Through classes, workshops, mentoring opportunities and other programs in urban horticulture, working with and managing volunteers; and community organizing; it enables the Partners to continue key educational and training, realize synergies among programs, and expand overall offerings and outreach. The programs impart the skills and strategies necessary to enhance employment opportunities and to inculcate a high level of community involvement.

Objectives/Performance Targets

1. Goals Of The Project As Stated In Our Proposal
Establish the Neighborhood Open Spaces Training Institute (NOSTI), a public/private initiative to: (1) improve neighborhood open space management through increased horticulture and leadership knowledge and skills; (2) enhance employment opportunities; (3) expand a continuum of learning opportunities, synergies among programs, and greater public knowledge of training opportunities.

Accomplishments/Milestones

2. Accomplishments/Milestones
(1) Increased communication among 16 non-profit organizations and public agencies; (2) Publication of an accessible training manual for on-site personnel; (3) Continuation and expansion of training for schoolyard custodians and community garden volunteers; (4)
Initiation of volunteer-led schoolyard Friends training; (5) Multi-organization sponsored summer youth “Green Team” serving community garden, schoolyard, and public housing neighborhood open spaces; (6) Planning begun for “Greenhouse Education” program; (7) Expansion of City Gardener Certificate, an 8-session urban community gardening Master Gardener program; (8) Citywide Gardeners Gathering attracts 300 with total volunteer coordinated workshop program.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

3. Impacts/Outcomes
Participating public and private agencies agreed on an Institute mission, program focus, and two initial joint program initiatives. Our Mission Statement is Public and private agencies through partnership, cooperation, and networking expand horticulture and leadership education and training to achieve greater stewardship, skill development and employment opportunities for improved maintenance of publicly used open spaces. The consensus for NOSTI program focus are: (1) continuing current programs; (2) networking and program coordination; (3) filling training gaps; and (4) building career bridges/opportunities, especially towards a diverse work force.
The following are some of the results to date:
City Gardener Certificate and Service Corps Program. The 8-session City Gardener Certificate program was held from January through March to train 34 volunteer leaders in urban horticulture and community garden management. In addition to participants from existing community gardens, there were participants from a nascent church garden and just being built schoolyard garden, and the 4-H’s program’s Boston Housing Authority project. The trained volunteers led a variety of programs throughout the summer and fall.
Schoolyard Custodian Training. Custodians from schools that have been replanted through the Schoolyard Initiative program attended a 4-session program in landscape management during April and May. In 2000, 25 custodians had completed the course; in 2001 an additional 25 took the course. Participating in the classes were all of the members of the designated union Boston Schoolyard Maintenance Crew.
Landscape Training Manual. We revised the Boston Urban Gardeners 1980s public housing landscape training manual for use by schoolyard and other on-site personnel. The manual extensively uses pictures and diagrams, making it highly accessible to lower literacy levels and diverse populations. Because the Manual is in electronic format, it provides the potential for adaptation as a training manual for many other audiences as well.
Schoolyard Friends Training. Four pilot workshops for Friends groups at schools that have rebuilt schoolyards through the Schoolyard Initiative program were held. Two City Gardener Certificate program volunteers led the trainings.
New Initiatives. We began planning and initial implementation of two joint programs:
(1) Greenhouse Education initiative
(2) Career Bridge initiative.

Collaborators: