Cornell Garden-based Learning

Overview

What is Cornell Garden-based Learning (CGBL)?

A part of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), CGBL aims “to provide educators with inspiring, research-based gardening resources and professional development to support engaging, empowering, and relevant learning experiences for children, youth, adults, and communities” throughout NYS. You can find information about their programming here.

How did I get involved?

My involvement with CGBL began my freshman year in the fall of 2016 when I took a two-semester class on facilitating Seed to Supper, a program designed to teach communities how to grow nutritious vegetables on a low budget. Towards the close of this experience, a program partner informed me about a summer internship opportunity at CCE in my home county of Nassau. I gladly accepted it with the main objective to teach garden-based learning to youth. I then returned for two additional summers.

In the video of my 2020 Senior Plant Sciences Symposium (end of page), I share a bit about my experience teaching, adapting, and developing some of these GBL programs.