Project Spotlight: Transform Community Garden
Author: Carey Douglas - Youth Coordinator - Volunteer Midlothian
Transform is a community gardening and environmental project, based in Midlothian, for vulnerable young people who need a little bit of extra support to volunteer.
Young volunteers help us run the community garden, helping with planning, tending, trying, making and mending! They learn lots of new skills while they volunteer with us and they also increase their confidence and self esteem, moreover they find the confidence to move on, three of our young volunteers left us to go to college this year.
When they come to the garden the young volunteers help plan gardening sessions and learn about what is planted throughout the seasons. We share in lots of other outdoor activities, like the big garden bird watch with the RSPB and the big butterfly count.
Year round our volunteers help with planting, pruning, watering, weeding, mowing, composting, feeding, harvesting and trying new veggies like Kale (not to everyone’s taste!) We like to encourage lots of wildlife to our garden and to everyone else’s too, our bird boxes are legendary!
We would be grateful for many things at the moment, like gloves, seeds, a wheelbarrow and compost; you can see our full request here.
There’s a lot more than plants in the garden to look after, we need to maintain, fix and paint fences, planters and raised beds. We always need help to keep the project going and keep our young people occupied and we use lots of resources especially wood and paint. Here you can see one of our young volunteers rejuvenating and painting our garden welcome sign!
Paint and wood are in much demand and we are always looking for donations of this to keep our young people busy and learning new skills! This young person is honing his woodworking and painting skills!
All of the volunteers have had a hand in making a new raised bed giving them some basic knowledge of building, problem solving, construction and working with others!
In recognition of their achievements and their commitment to volunteering we sign our young people up for the Saltire Awards, these awards recognise the commitment that young people make to volunteering Young people use these when they are applying to college or for work.
One of young people won a Summit Award at the Midlothian Volunteers Awards, the highest accolade for a young volunteer. This young person moved on from the garden to Project Search, it is great that we are helping young people develop new skills and new found confidence! Our adult volunteers also thrive helping out with the project. They enjoy getting out and about and meeting the young people and sharing their skills with them.
One of our adult volunteers was also nominated for the outstanding new volunteer category and won!
Our work in the garden is so important and helps young people move on to a positive destination in their lives and improves the lives of our adult volunteers too. We love our project and so do our volunteers who by increments learn lots of new skills and gain a lot more confidence. Three of our young volunteers left this year to start College! We know it is such a worthwhile project and hope you do too!
See how you can support us here.
Thank you for any help you can give us from the Transform Crew!
