Our Miyawaki Pocket Forest / Outdoor Learning Environment Celebration was a success! To ensure adequate student participation, we invited our school’s Student Council and Unity Club to collaborate in hosting different booths at the event. The Student Council hosted a snack stand, where elementary students, high school students, staff, and passerbys could drop by to grab something to eat while listening to music. Unity Club hosted a games booth to engage younger students and build community. Our very own Green Team hosted a homemade smoothie stand for all participants to sample. As a result, participation levels were high and many people came out to enjoy the beautiful weather.
An event this size also required consideration for various logistics, such as unexpected weather – which we addressed by preparing large tents to protect music equipment. Luckily, it did not have to come to this! Perhaps another notable challenge was having enough cutlery, cups, and napkins for people without being wasteful. We purchased many compostable cups and paper napkins, but they quickly ran out. We were able to solve this issue by borrowing the school’s reusable cups and spoons and having volunteers run back and forth to wash cutlery. Not the most efficient, but it indirectly taught students the importance of being conservative with supplies and reducing waste. Furthermore, we had compost bins stationed around the event to promote proper waste disposal, as all supplies were compostable!
We also needed to holistically address the audience members through this event. Gathering together to build community is incredibly meaningful, and even more so when there is a structured, clear message. To wield this opportunity of engaging with community members, we held a land acknowledgement and welcoming – including a brief introduction of the Pocket Forest and its importance in battling changing climates. We also had our teacher sponsor engage with many students, teaching them about the native spieces in Pocket Forests and leading tours throughout the space. For community projects to flourish, there should be a core value that is distributed, shared, and explored among participants. We hope all of the participants at our Miyawaki Pocket Forest Celebration had the opportunity to grow, share, and learn something new about sustainability and climate action.
