Village Coalition of Youth Activities, Inc. invites youth to actively participate in VCOYA’s Youth Community Garden. By volunteering your time, you can earn valuable community service hours while making a positive impact.
OUR GOAL
Our goal for a community garden is to provide a safe and nurturing space where individuals can learn about gardening, nutrition, and environmental stewardship. Through this project, we aim to teach life skills, promote healthy eating habits, provide an outdoor reading area and build a sense of community.
Community Garden Information
New Life Changing Information Resource Center
2308 Avenue D Ft. Pierce, FL, 34950
Join us on Saturdays and be a part of something meaningful!
For more information contact:
Dorothy Malik
772-971-2556
Hours of Operation:
Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
What You’ll Do:
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Planting and harvesting
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Weeding and maintaining garden beds
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Learning about sustainable gardening practices
Why Participate?
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Give Back: Support your community and make a difference.
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Learn Skills: Gain practical gardening knowledge while learning valuable life skills.
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Meet Others: Connect with fellow youth and community members.
Watch Us Grow
A community garden can significantly benefit youth who suffer from trauma. Here’s how tending to the soil and nurturing plants can become a powerful healing tool:
7 Benefits of Gardening
A community garden can significantly benefit youth who suffer from trauma. Here’s how tending to the soil and nurturing plants can become a powerful healing tool:
1. From Vulnerable to Verdant:
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Trauma leaves us feeling helpless and robbed of our familiar selves. In the garden, there’s relief from this helplessness. It’s a space where we can dare to make something positive happen.
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Plants and flowers become gentle companions. They allow engagement without judgment.
4. Nature as a Co-Therapist
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Community gardens provide a safe, nonjudgmental space. Youth can engage without fear of failure.
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Gardening reduces stress, lowers cortisol levels, and improves mood. It’s a form of ecotherapy—nature as a co-therapist.
7. Empowerment and Ownership
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Youth take ownership of their garden plots. They decide what to plant, how to care for it, and when to harvest.
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This empowerment extends beyond the garden. It’s a transferable skill—nurturing something and watching it thrive.
2. From Trauma Time to Nature’s Time:
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Traumatic events disrupt our sense of time. The pandemic stole precious moments, leaving us trapped in endless or borrowed time.
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In the garden, nature keeps its own rhythm. Crocuses bloom after storms, daffodils arrive on time.
5. Sense of Purpose and Mastery
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Tending to plants gives youth a sense of purpose. They witness growth, learn patience, and experience mastery.
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Harvesting vegetables they’ve nurtured becomes a tangible achievement. It’s a reminder that they can create positive change.
3. From Negative Sensations to Nature’s Sensations:
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Trauma triggers fight, flight, or freeze responses. We suffer because we can’t “shake off” the body’s readiness for danger or the memories carried in flashbacks.
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Gardening redirects our sensations. We touch the soil, smell flowers, feel the sun. Nature’s sensory experiences replace trauma’s grip.
6. Social Connection and Support
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Community gardens foster connections. Youth interact with peers, neighbors, and volunteers.
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Shared tasks create bonds. Conversations flow while weeding, planting, or harvesting. These connections combat isolation.
Community gardens offer a sanctuary where trauma’s grip loosens, time finds its rhythm, and nature becomes a co-healer. Let’s cultivate hope, one seed at a time.
