City Parks Foundation (CPF) is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. We work in over 750 parks citywide, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports, and education programs, and empowering citizens to support their parks on a local level. Our programs and community building initiatives reach more than 600,000 people each year, contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout New York City.
Learning Gardens Testimonials
Learning Gardens’ High School Interns, Jessica Colon & Nyema Brown, reflect on their experiences with CityParks Education
Jessica Colón
This summer I was the educator assistant at the Umoja Learning Garden in Brooklyn. My position was to learn garden skills such as weeding, planting, and then inform them to the kids. I also assisted setting up for class lessons, and helped to clean up the garden. Working in the Learning Garden had a huge impact on my life. I learned new things and there were many highlights.
A journey I intend to embark on in the future is to open my own day care center. In order to do that I need all the experience I can get. So working in the garden with Geimy gave me many chances to lead a whole lesson on my own. I would be so nervous and scared, but I would put that aside and give it my best shot. This was my best highlight because I was able to teach kids what I learned. Like what was the importance of the garden and lead them into activities. I even got dirty with them. I had the power to teach the kids the way I wanted and put my ideas in it. It was great and I loved it. This experience made me want to reach my goal even more.
I would like to thank everyone at the City Parks Foundation for giving me the chance to be part of the Brooklyn Learning Garden this summer. Learning most things about flowers and getting to be a teacher really was great to learn and do. Everything I learned and did this summer will go on with me in life. I am able to teach people outside of the garden about what I learned and it’s a great feeling. Just so you know, one day I will be taking over the garden.
Nyema Brown
Working at the Liberty Learning Garden has brought me many wonderful experiences and has taught me a few lessons that I can take with me forever. There were many garden lessons that were taught to groups in our Learning Garden and I can be proud to say that I learned some new things myself as I taught. Even though I’ve learned more than one important thing from the garden there was one that stuck with me the most. This lesson had to be learned over a period of time after working in the garden.
When I had first started working in the garden I was nervous and scared to share my passion of gardening to younger kids and other groups, and I didn’t really know how their reactions would be toward our garden. To my surprise most kids loved it and there was not one child from any group who did not enjoy the experience of gardening. This has taught me an important lesson: you can really share your passion about anything, even gardening. You can share your experience and anyone can love it just as much as you once they see how much you love it. It just takes a little work and effort. This experience is the most important to me because it boosted my confidence in a field that I thought I would never work in. I was actually in doubt that I could draw every child or group into this wonderful garden experience. I feel that I have done a little part in helping the next generation become more a part of our environment.
In all of its programming and activities, City Parks Foundation partners with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to improve neighborhood parks and the communities they serve.
