PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT:
TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM
& THE GARDEN WORKSHOP
Did you know that the Transformative Education Program at My Friend's Place offers employment assistance, life skills training and creative arts opportunities for homeless youth? We offer a range of creative arts and life skills enrichment workshops that encourage self-expression and development, equip youth with marketable skills, encourage positive behaviors, teach youth how to connect with resources and engage youth who are hesitant to participate in more traditional programming and treatment.
"With springtime comes new life, growth, and our garden workshop. As we've been planting and maintaining our garden, young people are bringing with them experience, knowledge, and much excitement."
Freddie Bell, My Friend's Place Transformative Education Intern
One popular workshop offered through the Transformative Education Program is the Garden Workshop. Started in Spring 2013 with two garden plots located at Hollywood Adventist Church, the Garden Workshop offers a hands-on gardening experience where youth can participate in every aspect of a garden, from selecting plants to maintaining the garden beds and tilling the soil to, finally, harvesting the fruits of their labors. The Garden Workshop not only provides our young people with the therapeutic benefits of gardening, but also a unique opportunity to enjoy a peaceful and safe space where youth can reflect and record their thoughts through writing, journaling and other creative self-expression.
This Summer, our youth will be harvesting an exciting variety of plants - eggplant, bell peppers and hot peppers, tomatoes, chives, cilantro, oregano, basil, beans and strawberries - and we would like to invite volunteers to help the youth celebrate and enjoy the bounty of the garden! If you have a "green thumb" and would like to help with Garden Workshop, or you have a volunteer group or organization that would like to host a mid-summer event or bar-b-que for our youth in our Garden Workshop space, please contact Camilla Brannstrom at [email protected] or call at 323-908-0011 x 107.
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