Washington Youth Garden
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
For 50 years, Washington Youth Garden (WYG), the youth outreach and education branch of Friends of the National Arboretum, has provided hands-on education to connect youth to food, the land, and each other. We help District of Columbia youth build positive relationships with food and nature, increase consumption of healthy foods, and gain knowledge of science, agriculture, and nutrition.
Established in 1971 on the grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum to teach local elementary students horticultural and life skills, WYG has grown into an award-winning education program supporting thousands of under-resourced students all over Washington, DC for the past half century.
WYG’S STORY
In 1971, the Washington Youth Garden Council and the DC Department of Recreation broke ground at the U.S. National Arboretum. This established the fourth Youth Garden site in DC to teach elementary school students horticultural and life skills.
In 1973, WYG partnered with neighboring elementary schools to create the Garden Club for 3rd-5th graders. It operated as part of the DC Department of Parks and Recreation as an established community garden for children from local schools and DPR camps until 1996.
In 2000, WYG started working directly with school gardens by establishing the Garden Science program, an 8 week plant science unit offered in classrooms at Title 1 schools. This program offered more formal horticulture science curricula than its predecessor, the Garden Club.
The Science Programming Reaching OUT (SPROUT) program was introduced in 2002 to bring Garden Science students on field trips to WYG.
Growing Food Growing Together started for families to learn gardening and cooking skills in their own plots at WYG.
In 2007, WYG instituted its summer internship program for college students.
We greatly appreciate the National Capital Area Garden Club’s crucial support during this time in our history which allowed WYG to flourish.
In 2010, our garden staff grew to 3 full-time members. We began installing school gardens in conjunction with Garden Science, and led the development of the DC Healthy Schools Act that dedicated state resources to horticulture education for the first time. WYG served 1,000 youth this year.
The Green Ambassador Program was established in 2013 for DC teenagers to gain experience in green careers through a paid summer internship.
In 2017 WYG hosted 4,200 students from 130 schools and camps on SPROUT field trips, marking the first year we served 6,000 youth.
The Summer Institute for Garden-based Teaching began in 2018 and the Green Ambassadors Program solidified its multi-tiered model.
While the COVID-19 pandemic halted all in-person programs in 2020, we adapted to make our program supports more flexible and tied to our partner school’s needs. In 2020, we introduced the Educator Coaching Program to provide hands-on assistance and instruction to teachers throughout the school year. This program now serves 8 to 12 Title 1 DC schools annually.
Washington Youth Garden now grows over 7,500 lbs of food annually for distribution through our partner schools and community partners. It remains a hub for young people, teachers, and families to learn about how they can grow food in their schools and homes. Through all our youth programs, FONA serves over 7,000 students across the District.
GROW THE GARDEN: FENCE RENOVATION
We are renovating Washington Youth Garden’s perimeter fence as the next step in our Grow the Garden campaign.
Replacing the existing fence will:
- Make the garden more inviting to youth and families
- Create a visible, central entry point to the garden by adding a front entrance
- Incorporate honeycomb elements to make the fence more visually interesting and engaging than the existing chain link fence
- Continue to keep out deer, raccoons, and groundhogs
- Expand the growing space
Donate today and together we can grow the garden! We have already secured $50,000 in grant funding for the fence renovation, but we need our community’s help to reach our $150,000 goal. Whether it’s $15, $50, or $500, every donation makes a difference.
*Donations are for the entire Grow the Garden campaign and do not count towards annual membership.
Looking into the Washington Youth Garden from outside the existing fence. Photo by Rosi Fotography.
An example of a garden fence that incorporates wooden elements into its construction. The new WYG fence will incorporate honeycomb elements to make the fence more visually interesting and engaging.
A new Garden Agreement sign hangs from the existing fence to welcome visitors to the garden.
An example of a garden fence that incorporates wooden elements into its construction. The new WYG fence will incorporate honeycomb elements to make the fence more visually interesting and engaging.
Students walk into the garden to attend a field trip. The garden hosts many events and programs throughout the year.
Click the map to view in full screen, or click here for a downloadable version.
Campaign Phases
FONA is committed to providing excellent youth education at the National Arboretum. Each phase of the Grow the Garden campaign helps us make the Washington Youth Garden more engaging, accessible, and productive for future generations.
- Conceptual redesign
- Community feedback
- Final redesign
- Fence renovation (fundraising in progress)
- Raised bed construction (funding secured)
- Interpretive & wayfinding signage (ongoing)
- Widen garden paths to be ADA accessible
- Build a whimsical garden supply shed
- Plant fruit & nut trees
- Interpretive & wayfinding signage
- Decorative plantings in front of garden
- High-visibility signage
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Nadia Mercer
Maisha Martin
Karen Rand
Tom Broderick
Kevin McIntosh
Luke Dickinson
Pamela Raymont-Simpson
Richard Boyd
Dick Cecka
Patricia Nutter
mark buscaino
Stella Edosomwan
Anonymous
Barbara Shea
Anonymous
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Science
CELEBRATORY EVENTS
Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating Washington Youth Garden’s 50th anniversary at our Birthday Party and Evening Benefit! Thank you in particular to the donors, sponsors, and in-kind supporters who made these events possible.
Sponsor list as of June 7, 2022.
Sponsors
Margaret Strand
Lucy S. Rhame
Laura and Guy Cecala
Lynne H. Church
Gail Charnley Elliott and E. Donald Elliott
Jennifer Hatcher
Sherril Houghton
Lloyd E. Mitchell Foundation
Rafael Lopez and Linda Marks
Jim and Penny Morrill
National Capital Area Garden Clubs
Catherine Nottingham
Melissa and John Pflieger
Craven Rand
Pamela Raymont-Simpson and Charles J. Simpson, Jr.
Barbara and Jim Shea
Michael G. Stevens
Tuckie Westfall
Ken and Dottie Woodcock
Corporate Sponsors
Bernstein Management Corporation
Your Part-Time Controller
In-Kind Sponsors
SHARE YOUR STORY
We want to hear your stories! With half a century of impact in our community, we want to know:
What does the Washington Youth Garden mean to you?
Write your story (no more than 500 words), share your photos, or upload a short video (30-40 seconds, no greater than 50 mb) answering this question and wishing Washington Youth Garden a happy birthday. We might feature your message in our birthday video!
SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMS
Join us in celebrating the Washington Youth Garden’s 50th anniversary and help us plan for the next half century.
Become a FONA member today and help FONA and the Washington Youth Garden strengthen our visitor and education programs to better support the needs of our community.
Your support helps programs like the Washington Youth Garden thrive!
Thank you for helping us succeed — here’s to another spectacular 50 years!
