Growing Opportunities Garden

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

The Growing Opportunities Garden at the Girls Rehabilitation Facility in San Diego, California, is a 2,400 square-foot organic fruit, vegetable, and flower garden. A Probation Supervisor initiated the project in an effort to create a safe, functional “green space” where staff and community partners could engage and inspire the youth in custody through a variety of programs, beautify the facility for the youth, staff, and visitors, and conserve resources. The garden now serves as a rich outdoor learning environment for science projects, gardening education, and horticultural therapy, as well as a place for visiting and solace. The garden was built through a collaborative effort among community partners and is sustained through their strong support. Since August of 2013, approximately 200 girls have participated in the Horticulture Program at Growing Opportunities Garden and nearly twice as many have benefitted from the other programs in the garden noted above.