Dozens of educators from across Southwest Florida took part in School Garden Leadership Training recently at ECHO’s North America Impact Center in North Fort Myers. The day-long event took place on Sept. 14 and featured presenters from Gainesville and Tallahassee.
Teachers from Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties learned how to grow plants for school gardens and use the experience as a learning opportunity integrated into their curriculum for students. They learned about utilizing the food for student meals at school and at home and creating a school support community for continuity and sustainability of their gardens.
Attendees were inspired by a tour of ECHO’s creative gardens, then learned how to re-create some of the growing methods and how to teach students to do the same. They received tools, seeds and plants to take back to their schools to apply their learning and benefit their students.
Many community members and organizations were instrumental in spearheading this event including:
- The Lee County Healthy Living Collaboration
- Chef Daniela Craciun, who provided a cooking demonstration and cake for lunch
- The Sprouts Community Foundation, which provided breakfast, snacks and lunch
- Walmart and Home Depot, which donated garden items
- ECHO, which provided plants to each teacher
Presenters were from ECHO, Florida Ag in the Classroom, UF/IFAS Family Nutrition Program and Naples Botanical Garden.
For more information about ECHO and how to support its mission, call 239-543-3246 or visit ECHOnet.org or ECHOcommunity.org.
ABOUT ECHO
ECHO provides hope against hunger around the globe through agricultural training and resources. As a Christian technical networking and resourcing organization, ECHO builds a diverse, global network and serves that network by sharing validated contextualized agricultural options with technical excellence. ECHO’s goal is to serve its network members to advance food security and sustainable livelihoods. ECHO’s North American Regional Impact Center is located in Fort Myers, Florida with a global presence through four Regional Impact Centers in the USA, Thailand, Tanzania, and Burkina Faso. For more information about ECHO call 239-543-3246 or visit echonet.org or ECHOcommunity.org.
