SUMMER CAMP FUN!

Growing Up Organic, with the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group (GNAG), is happy to offer two summer camp experiences summer 2010. For more information please contact Torry Reid at 613.627.6343 or GNAG at 613-564-1058 or 613-233-8713. Register online at gnag.ca, registration opens March 8^th at 9:00 PM.

FOOD & GARDEN CAMP (12-16 years)

Yellow tomatoes, purple carrots, edible weeds…

Canadian Organic Growers (COG), through its Growing Up Organic project, invites you to sink your teeth into the world of food. Not only will you get to prepare and eat great organic food, you’ll also learn how to grow it yourself, right here in the city. Along the way you’ll meet professional chefs, city farmers and take a trip out to Alpenblick Farm for a day with the goats. Fee includes organic food and transportation.

Jul 12 - 16 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. $165

YOUTH FARM APPRENTICESHIP CAMP (12-16 years)

Canadian Organic Growers (COG), through its Growing Up Organic project, is offering its farm camp for a third year – and this time we’ll be camping for a full week while living and working out at Alpenblick Farm. Farmers Robert & Petra will teach you how to milk goats, make cheese and care for the cattle, sheep and goats that graze their 320 acre organic farm outside Stittsville. While there you’ll learn how to cook over an open fire, identify and prepare wild edible plants, participate in a land art project, and take day trips to other nearby farms. Fee includes organic meals and transportation.

Jul 5 - 9 (5 days, 4 nights) $240

Food For All

Food for All: Join Food Action Planning Conversations – Feb.

People from across this city are coming together to address the food issues in our communities. It is called Food for All: an Ottawa Community Response. Join Food for All and participate in the Food Action Planning Conversations in 2010. The time is right for Ottawa to develop a food action plan.

Between February and June of 2010, there will be a number of Food Action Planning Conversations. These conversations are for all people in Ottawa who are interested or have concerns about their food. You are invited to join Food for All and participate in these conversations.

We will find solutions to many of the food issues that exist in Ottawa, make recommendations and work with decision makers, including the City of Ottawa, the Ottawa school boards, and the NCC on ways to improve the food system in Ottawa.

Please choose the topic area that interests you the most, save the dates for the workshops and contact us to register for the workshops. We will confirm your participation and share with you the location of the conversations when we receive your registration.

Food, Access and Health in Our Communities: This topic area will look at issues like being able to find, afford and get to the food we need, the relationship between food and health, and our community food programs.

Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Dates: February 9th, March 9th, April 13th and May 11th, 2010
Contact: Project coordinator at info@justfood.ca or 613-236-9300 ext. 301

Food in Our Schools: This topic area will explore the issues related to formalized programs that provide children with food, the general availability of foods in schools, and food in the curriculum.

Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Dates: February 16th, March 30th and May 18th, 2010
Contact: Project coordinator at info@justfood.ca or 613-236-9300 ext. 301

Household Food Production: This topic area will explore the issues faced by households growing food for their households – including household gardens, community gardens, livestock by-laws, and skills to grow and use food.

Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Dates: February 23rd, March 23rd and April 27th, 2010
Contact: Terri O’Neill at terri@justfood.ca or 613-236-9300 ext. 309

Market Food Production: This topic area will explore the issues faced by people who are growing food for sale to others.

Time: 10:00am to 12:00pm
Dates: February 2nd and March 16th, 2010
Contact: Robin Turner at robin@justfood.ca or 613-236-9300 ext. 306

Special Notes:

· In each topic area, every conversation will build on the conversations that happened before it. When you sign up for a topic area, please ensure that you can commit to participating in all of the conversations for that topic area.

· We welcome both French and English speakers to participate in these conversations. Each topic area will have an English and a French speaking facilitator.

· Locations will be wheel-chair accessible

· Child-care will be available during each of these conversations with prior notice.

· OC-Transpo tickets will be available to help you get to and from the meeting venue.

For more information about Food for All as a project, the topics that will be discussed in each of the topic areas, or to suggest topics that should be included, please visit www.justfood.ca/foodforall

Happy New Year Gardeners!

My name is Laura and I am a new School Garden Intern working with Growing Up Organic. I am very excited for all the fun in the gardens this year!
Even though there is snow on the ground, Growing Up Organic is working away planning gardens and events for the spring.

Here's what going on so far...
We are working with teachers to create a workbook about the school garden project. The workbook will include a basic guide to gardening, curriculum-based lesson plans in the garden, and many other great resources for teachers to use gardens for fun and learning.
Come the spring, with the help of elementary and high school students, we will be waking up the gardens, planting some new ones, and rounding up volunteers to help take care of them. For more information about when and what types of things we'll be doing with students, visit https://sites.google.com/site/growinguporganicschoolgardens/home.

How to get involved:
1. Volunteer to help getting the gardens started
2. Volunteer to help with a workshop
2. Volunteer to help take care of the garden nearest to you (weeding, watering...)
3. Teachers: Participate in a garden workshop with your class
Contact me at guoschoolgardens@gmail.com to let me know that you are interested.

Get Inspired! Get Gardening!
Check out all the great new resources for kids gardening:
http://www.kidsgardening.com/Dig/dig.asp?act=t -fun activities for children in and out of the garden
http://www.evergreen.ca/en/resources/schools/curriculum.sn -lesson plans & more teaching tools
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/Schoolgardening - an established school garden project in England, lots of information, activities and ideas (more than 10,000 schools involved!)