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Tours of Bushwick Campus Farm
Working with your staff, farmer-educator Maggie Cheney (bio) will co-coordinate an engaging and educational visit to our ¾ acre Bushwick Campus Farm, where you can see our greenhouse, herb and flower gardens, vegetable crops, composting system, and fish farm! Get inspired to "go green" and start something at your school.
- Flexible hours/scheduling
- Open to school and civic groups
- Chose from a basic tour, tour and workshop,
or a tour and work day of seasonal farm activities
Pricing:
- $30/hr On-site visit
- $1-10 per student (sliding scale, depending on scheduled activities)
- Required: Signed permission slips; 1/10 teacher-to-student ratio
Contact Maggie to schedule a visit
Special Event Coordination/Presentations
EcoStation has guest teachers and presenters with field experience in the areas of sustainable agriculture, food systems, social justice, environmental justice, health issues, and green job opportunities. EcoStation staff are also available for career days.
Contact Maggie for more information
Consulting
Detailed below are EcoStation:NY's Consulting options for schools and community groups. Each project that we undertake is unique: we keep our ears and minds open when it comes to meeting each schools' individual goals and needs.
School Partnerships and Professional Development
The goal of our School Partnership program is to increase literacy and engagement of students in the classroom through hands-on learning, and to provide ideas, resources, and materials for teachers. Consultant Maggie Cheney (bio at end of document) will partner with teachers and staff to help guide and develop the school's garden, greening initiatives, and academic programing.
- Comprehensive, standards-based planning with teachers during the winter months to ensure an engaging, productive, and successful Spring and Fall semester
- Co-create hands-on curriculum that enhances the learning benchmarks of Regents
- Help teachers learn how to track academic improvements and attendance
- Reach student populations that struggle to succeed in traditional classroom environments: ELL's, special needs populations, and "lowest third" students would benefit most
Sessions might include one-on-one brainstorming and planning about academic and curriculum connections to urban agriculture and local greening initiatives, interactive nutrition and cooking classes, or exploring connections to broader health and environmental initiatives of the school. EcoStation focuses on local capacity building, so we will not only look at the people and resources of the school, but the surrounding community as well.
An introductory slideshow of Bushwick Campus Farm and other "urban ag" projects (including other school gardens) serves as an excellent teaching tool and starting point for inspiration and collaboration.
On-Site Project Consultations: $170 (Two-hour visit and consultation)
- On-site design consultation
- Visioning session and brainstorming with staff
- Academic consultations for curriculum integration
- Slideshow and PowerPoint presentation
- Urban Agriculture workshops on specialized topics (ex: composting, soil, irrigation, seed starting, school markets)
- Follow-up support by email and phone
Professional Development Series: $150/session
- Four to six Professional Development trainings (2 - 3 hrs each), scheduled throughout the year or concentrated in one month, depending on the project
- Follow-up support by email and phone
Contact Maggie for more information
All fees are negotiable. EcoStation wants to provide services regardless of current economic status. We can assist you in developing and finding funding for your project. We are a registered NYC Department of Education vendor, making allocation of Professional Development funds an option.
Revenue generated from tours and consultations are reinvested into EcoStation's educational programs for youth and adults at Bushwick Campus Farm.
Consultant Profile: Maggie Cheney
Maggie Cheney is Director of Farms & Education for EcoStation:NY, a Bushwick-based nonprofit organization dedicated to food, social, and environmental justice.
Maggie grew up growing food, loving food, and wanting to share her passion and knowledge with others. She is the daughter of Ward Cheney, an organic farmer and founder of The Food Project, in Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating from Brown University, Maggie first founded an elementary school garden program in Oakland, California. She then went on to teach at University of California Santa Cruz' Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture for two years. She has worked on numerous farms across the United States, Mexico, and South America, most recently co-managing Four Winds Farm, a "no-till" organic farm in the Hudson Valley rooted in environmental stewardship, animal care, and intensive food production.
At Bushwick Campus, Maggie is working with teachers, students, parents, and community members to collectively build a joyful, viable, and sustainable farm operation. In addition to working with closely with teachers and students during school hours, Maggie coordinates a six-month Community Apprenticeship Program for aspiring urban farmers (adults), and a twice-weekly, after school "Green Team."
In Summer 2012, Maggie oversaw the development of a Food Justice Job Training pilot program, involving ten paid student workers at Bushwick Campus Farm, and a total of forty area youth who convened for an intense workshop examining the complex, interrelated issues of food, race, health, environment, and society.
Maggie is an organizer of food and social justice trainings for youth, and served as a lead organizer of the 2012 Brooklyn Food Conference's Youth Summit. Maggie also oversees operations at EcoStation:NY's rooftop farm, Farm-In-The-Sky, and teaches advanced crop production and irrigation courses for Just Food's Farm School NYC.
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