Our project is titled the Eritrean Gardening Project (EGP).The objective of the project is to promote the success of Eritrean refugees and immigrants struggling to assimilate in the U.S., through the medium of gardening. We use gardening as a means of creating healthy communities by teaching families how to plant food in the convenience of their own homes and then coming together to learn and share successes and challenges. We also use gardening as a starting point to help teach nutrition and healthy eating. We provide monthly workshops that build on information learned in the previous month, gradually implementing healthy habits. Many of our refugee and immigrant members come from different oppressive parts of Africa making it difficult for them to adapt to life in the states. In addition to the impact on refugee families in our community, The Eritrean Gardening program has also had a positive impact on our Community Center and surrounding neighborhood in Lower Roxbury. From 2009-2011 we converted an area behind the ECC which previously was in poor condition, with broken glass and other debris carried in by people who used the area as a hang-out and a place to sleep. Through the investment of time and energy of ECC families involved in the Gardening Project, as well as the help of volunteers from some church groups in Milton, the ECC has gained a positive image, becoming a safer and cleaner environment with prospering vegetables and flowers. On occasion people are able to sit back and relax while absorbing the beauty of the garden, and the sun. *OBJECTIVES* Included in the project will be the expansion of the following goals: * To continue to improve the area around the Eritrean Community Center, making it a safe, attractive place by encompassing it with beautiful plants and vegetable gardens, making it a gathering space for people to converse and relax, as well as an example for the surrounding neighborhood. * We want to increase the number of actively involved families from 10 to 15 by Spring of 2012. * Educate involved families about farming, gardening and nutrition through monthly workshops that would begin in September. * Work with the ECC cafe to increase the amount of garden-grown vegetables used in meals and served to members. *PROGRAM PLAN* Over the winter and spring of 2011-2012, ECC will increase the number of families gardening at home from 10 families to 15 families. To accomplish this, ECC staff and volunteers will: * Work with Ms. Meheret (the Café Manager) and inform her of which vegetables of the garden she can incorporate into the food, and how to properly clean and cook the vegetables. * Outreach ECC members through ESL classes and large ECC events to encourage families to start gardening and attending * ECC gardening and nutrition educational events. ECC staff will also post a calendar of activities in the Café. * Meet with Food Project Build-a-Garden (BAG) Staff to understand the BAG program. * Host 2 workshops in February with potential new raised-bed gardeners to help them understand the BAG process * Provide follow-up support through March and April to help participants with their Raised Bed applications and to make sure they follow through with the necessary steps in the process. From January- October, ECC will host monthly educational activities about food, nutrition and gardening. The program schedule is as follows: * January: Select two to three volunteers to take BNAN taught informational courses regarding gardening and nutrition. In the mean time , we will try to reach educated professionals from different public sectors.( For example last year we had lend follow Dr. Amy Knorr from Children’s Hospital who coordinated activities for children to teach them the basic gardening skills) * February: Movie Night at ECC, featuring the film DIRT! With group discussion following. * March: Organize an informational session to prepare members to begin gardening in March which will be taught by volunteers who have first taken courses with BNAN. Establish relationships with different GRO communities and hopefully invite them to the ECC for a Q&A. * April: Organize a Fundraiser such as a Potluck Dinner cooked by volunteers to raise money to buy gardening resources such as seeds and soil. * May: Using funds from the fundraiser purchase seeds and soil from various affordable farmers markets. Distribute seeds and soil to participants. Also organize a cleaning event for participants to come eat healthy foods as they clean up the raised bed to keep the ECC looking clean and beautiful. Beautify the gardening are with patio furniture purchases from thrift shops or yard sales. Point person will bring in the furniture. * June: Follow-up with the status of each participant’s garden. Install one raised bed next year to increase the number of beds at the Center to four and thus increases the vegetable production. * July: Organize informational event taught by the Café Manager and BNAN volunteers to teach members how to cook using food from their garden. _based on the manager’s schedule_ * August: Field trip to a local farm and family picnic trip to the Hopkinton State Park. * September: Workshop on Nutrition and the key to Healthy living taught by volunteer expertise from various public sectors such as lend fellow from Children’s Hospital of Boston, or Boston Medical Nutritionists. We will also outreach student researchers from UMASS Boston. * October: End of the year Harvest celebration, members will share their gardening product. Assign a different family with a raised bed for the following year.