LGL Mission and Goals

LGL Mission

The Learning Gardens Lab supports academic achievement, leadership development, and local sustainable food systems by providing multicultural, interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and experiential garden-based education for public school students and their families, university students, and community members.

LGL Historical Goals

When the Learning Gardens Laboratory project began in the fall of 2005, its goals were defined as follows:

• To create an educational laboratory resource that will give students and youth in Portland hands-on multicultural, interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and multi-sensory experiences that promote earth-friendly local food production and improve student learning.

• To educate students about permaculture principles and earth-friendly gardening methods, nutrition and healthy eating habits, and medicinal/healing properties of plants.

• To serve as an educational resource for existing learning gardens in PortlandPublic schools and local farms.

• To support the regional food economy by raising awareness of the importance of local agriculture and working with PPS Nutrition Services to bring LGLab harvests into schools.

• To facilitate the creation of an intergenerational learning community where PSU graduate students, PPS students, and parents from multicultural communities in Southeast Portland can work collaboratively.

• To close the achievement gap and increase academic achievement, develop personal efficacy, stimulate motivation to learn, and help foster a sense of purpose and sense of place.

• To become a national model that extends beyond food production to teaching children and youth and increasing their academic achievement.