Gardens as outdoor classrooms - Oke Charity

An initiative by

Oke Charity

in Partnership with EPIT

December 2023

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Oke supports schools to develop gardens as part of their curriculum. Gardens are created in collaboration with schools and the local community and are built in just one day. Ongoing support from Oke, and cross-school hui, are ensuring the gardens thrive and become an integral part of learning. A PhD study on student wellbeing is running concurrently with this work as the benefit for students is becoming increasingly evident. Oke is continuing to reach more schools and ensure that gardens become an essential part of the New Zealand school curriculum.

The drive behind this initiative

Increasingly, in many homes there is a lack of space for whānau to grow their own food, which means families are missing out on both the nutritional value of freshly grown produce but also the sustainable lifestyle that this creates over time. As well as this, some students miss out on opportunities where learning outside of the classroom works better for them.

Approach to change

A lessons learnt approach has beenadopted to ensure Oke Charity is continually evolving and improving solutionsto children’s learning. 

Impact for Equity

  • Whole communities learning together about the benefits of gardening and healthy living.
  • The development of resilient and thriving future generations with the life skills to live sustainably.
  • Alternative learning opportunities for children who struggle within a classroom of four walls

Learnings & Outputs

About

Oke Charity

Oke Charity provides school children the opportunity to learn life and social skills by introducing productive gardens into schools. By giving children the tools to learn Oke are empowering schools and communities to grow essential life and social skills, ultimately providing a better place for everyone.