“Not everyone has the privilege to have good food”: promoting positive youth development and social justice values in school gardens

This paper explores the role of school and community gardens, as examples of urban agriculture projects, in fostering connections between high school students and the community. This exploratory study focuses on positive youth development and social justice youth development frameworks especially food insecurity or inability to access affordable and nutritious food. On that account, this paper examines the following research questions: (a) What effect, if any, do school gardens have on high school students’ positive youth development and community building skills? (b) How does participating in a school garden foster youth social justice awareness? The study employed a mixed-methods approach, specifically a case study method. The setting for this case study was an urban high school that maintained a garden on its grounds in Ontario, Canada. Participants included 24 high school students, 1 teacher, 1 principal, and 2 garden coordinators. The primary sources of data include (1) semi-structured interviews with students, teacher, school principal, and garden coordinators; (2) student survey responses; and (3) school garden observations. Findings show impact of the school garden on students’ positive youth development (competence, confidence, connection, character, caring, and compassion), community building skills, and social justice awareness (self-awareness, social awareness, and global awareness). As well, garden activities were linked to students’ cultural backgrounds. This research advances knowledge about school gardens as a setting that nurtures students’ environmental stewardship and establishes community connections in a way that is inclusive for students from all backgrounds.