CGBLLEd2020: Introduction

Welcome and Introductory Discussion Forum

Introduction

We have about 62 MG's right now however only about 25 are active. The group is excited to show off their gardens at the zoo, our exhibit at the NYS Fair, and our Blocks in Bloom project. We have a handful of presenters that enjoy educating small groups and we also do a lot of work with the elementary schools. Some of the volunteers really enjoy the variety of tabling events, and they have fun talking to the public. We have a new committee that will be working on a demonstration garden at our new location, the volunteers are very excited about this project. Right now the project is in the planning stages.

I'm curious, do all MG volunteer coordinators have an advisory board and what is the role of your advisory board. At our last AB meeting we talked about some of our activities and evaluating those activities to see if they are still useful. I'd like to explore new activities and better ways to meet our communities needs. My concern is that our volunteers are happy with the status quo, and aren't ready yet, or don't want to have the conversations about meeting community needs in different ways. I watch other CCE's and they are doing great things. How do we encourage the volunteers to step out of their comfort zone. Thank you for your feedback.

Hi Kathleen,

Regarding your question about Advisory Boards, I followed the lead in Orange County, where for many years had a MGV Advisory set up formally with term limits and nominations. In Rockland I established one, a little bit looser, and invited key volunteers to help me start up a committee. Our function was more of an internal one, on how we could improve the program, enhance our existing outreach education, and was a group where committee members could be the voice of fellow volunteers. At the time we started the committee, we were going through the transition of background checks for volunteers, which caused a bit of a stir among the volunteers and their needed some finessing between volunteers/staff. This helped with the transition as they saw fellow volunteers (advisory members) working alongside staff to improve their MGV program. We would also ask members from incoming training classes if they would like to be part of the committee, and both veteran and new MGs were thrilled to be able to have such a key role!

In Suffolk County, I also started the Advisory group, which was established to help volunteers come together (it's a very large county geographically) to have a better understanding of what MGV's role in Suffolk was. Again, they also were going through the background check transition and there were other issues that needed attention. Both Rockland and Suffolk Advisory committees helped me create the "MGV Guidelines and Expectations" to align with state-wide VIPP procedures and our local policies and plan of work.

Kristin from Rockland and Roxanne from Suffolk are both in this course, and they could let you know how their committees continue to function. I highly recommend starting one.

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Hi Kathleen,

Thanks for sharing - Donna has a lot of experience working with MGV and organizing them. My take is that changing expectations for new MGV based on what you learn in this course, and focusing on action projects that help your county achieve goals for your program and community, might help to refocus efforts around community service. It is difficult to change when there's so much resistance. If you'd like me to ever present to your group about ways you can engage different populations in your community and meet people where they are (at community gardens, neighborhood centers, through our Seed to Supper program) I'd love to help in that way. I do think this is one of our challenges, really reaching out to a larger sector - reminding volunteers that is part of the mission and vision of the MGV program and CCE might help them see how this needs to be front and center in the future. Also, perhaps reminding them that, especially right now, there is a big need for healthy food access for families, and there are real opportunities to educate the public and perhaps even support community gardening efforts with their knowledge base. This might give them a sense of purpose for their work in the recovery effort.

Those are just a few thoughts - I'm sure there will be a healthy discussion about this same topic as we go through the course!

Ashley

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