Like the previous three semesters I have been involved with the FIRE program we started off this spring semester with a staff meeting that included the LLC Hall Director and RAs. The purpose of this meeting was to talk about our semester goals and to brainstorm about the programs we wanted to implement. These have come to be my favorite meetings because it gives me an opportunity to hear what the RAs are interested in and how I might be able to work with some of their interests to design programs that meets some of the learning and developmental objectives that I hope to achieve.
There were three things discussed during this meeting that stuck with me, the desire to: grow plants, volunteer, and increase our efforts in community development. Being an academic, it should be of no surprise that I couldn’t turn my brain off so I continued brainstorming about programs that could incorporate the three things mentioned above and more. Then it came to me, and I couldn’t wait to share this idea with the LLC staff and students.
Each year Fargo accepts up to 400 refugees from countries where those individuals are fleeing from fear of prosecution from a variety of things. I have always been intrigued with the fact that Fargo is a refuge location (given its harsh climate that is often so different from where refugees are coming from). In addition, I greatly appreciate the ethnic and cultural diversity these new American’s have brought to Fargo.
There are many great programs put in place to assist refugees as they transition into the Fargo community as new Americans. One of the programs that has been of particular interest to me are community gardens where these families participate in growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs along with other members of the Fargo community. That is all it took for me to connect the dots!
The Grow it Forward program involves NDSU students, staff, and faculty members working with members of the Fargo community to assist with the Nativity Community Garden (one of 8 community gardens in Fargo). The NDSU group is growing seedlings and purchasing seeds for direct sowing as a donation to this effort. In addition, this group has offered to assist with other projects to help the community garden including setting up a rain water collection system and construction of raised beds.
Our project objectives include:
•Community building (within the NDSU Living Learning Community and the Fargo Community)
•Service (donating seedlings and seeds, labor, and expertise for a worthy cause)
•Education (exposing students to the concept of community gardens and refugees who also participate with the gardening effort; our goal is to promote cultural exchange as much as possible).
This program is rapidly “growing” so please stay tuned to see the great work NDSU students and staff are doing in the Fargo community!
