Learn more about volunteering with us!
Our Farm Friend volunteers come with a diversity of skills and past experiences. The most important asset for a volunteer to have is the desire to care for the Earth, children, and the wider community. A love of food is helpful too!
All Landed Learning volunteers work together with another adult volunteer (generally one senior and one young volunteer are partnered with 3-4 children in their own garden bed). We strive to create pairs in which at least one partner has experience with children and another has experience with gardening. Therefore, it is helpful, but not essential to have some experience working with either plants or children.
Volunteers arrive at 8:30am for a morning meeting. We generally go over the theme for the day and cover information that will help you be successful in the day’s work. We also share tea, coffee, and snacks.
At 9:30am the children arrive. We do a large group activity to explore the theme of the day or to build teamwork.
Around 10am Farm Friend groups (generally one senior and one younger volunteer are partnered with 3-4 children in grades 4-7) head out to their assigned garden bed to do the work of the day. The work might include seed saving, composting, mulching, starting seedlings indoors, sowing seeds in the garden, transplanting, watering, making compost tea, turning the compost, weeding, thinning, and harvesting. In addition, each group has a turn to take on special jobs, including chefs, reporters, and garden guardians. Groups that finish early they can often take on “Farm chores” or visit other parts of the Farm.
At 11:45am all groups reconvene for a closing circle where we share our learning and celebrate the accomplishments of the day. We give thanks for the day and for all who have contributed.
Around 12pm we break for lunch. Students eat bagged lunches in the greenhouse while Farm Friends have a debrief meeting in the Farm Centre. While the Landed Learning Project does not provide lunch, we do usually provide snacks that were prepared by Chefs of the week.
By 1pm our meeting has ended. Volunteers generally leave, although they may stay if they would like to work in the garden, tour the Farm, or help with afternoon class activities. The whole class stays to work on garden projects or integrated curriculum until 2pm.
Visits are 9am-1pm on Wednesday or Thursday mornings throughout the school year. Volunteers are partnered with a class that attends farm visits on either Wednesdays or Thursdays. You may sign up for whichever day best suits your schedule.
We usually have 12 visits over the course of the school year. They are approximately every other week, excluding VSB and UBC holidays, and the wintertime. We have three visits from late September-early November, one visit (at the school, not at the Farm) in late January, and eight visits from March through late June.
We have found that a strong relationship often develops among children and their Farm Friends. Because changes in these groups can be disruptive and challenging for the children, we generally we ask that volunteers commit to the entire year. However, as lives and schedules can change quickly, we do have some turnover of volunteers and therefore maintain a body of “floating” and “on-call” volunteers who do not have a committed position with a single group.
Yes! We hold a volunteer orientation for all volunteers at the beginning of each school year. Orientation will familiarize you with the garden, your partner, and the Landed Learning values; themes; and protocol. It will also prepare you to navigate the some of the challenges you might face when working with children in the garden. We host a new volunteer orientation in January, as well, for volunteers who join in term 2.
Throughout the year we have on-going training. Pre-visit materials are sent via e-mail, four to six days prior to the visit, covering visit schedule and background information on the visit’s theme. Morning meetings just before each visit orient volunteers to materials and activities. Post-visit debrief sessions allow volunteers to meet without children to share ideas within the Farm Friend community, develop new skills in working with children, and celebrate accomplishments. Optional monthly or bimonthly weekend Farm Friend Community Days invite you and your friends or family to build your own garden or kitchen skills and knowledge through free garden work parties and workshops.
To get involved please complete our volunteer application form. Our project manager let you know when the next info session for new volunteers will be and/or if there is an opening for new volunteers. Often if there are no openings for committed positions we can invite you out to observe, or to be a “floater” or “on-call” volunteer.
**Please note: All individuals wishing to volunteer with the Landed Learning Project will be required to undergo a routine Criminal Record Check. More information is available at your info session.